The Middleton Family

After Aaron and Holly met at a Columbus bar after graduating Ohio State University, it was love at first sight. Though unfamiliar with the rigors of military family life, Holly went all in, giving up her own career to find fulfillment as a mother. Aaron is now a Major and Senior Communications Officer serving at USMC Forces Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Over the past year, however, the family has faced overwhelming adversity. First, their newborn son Kelvin was diagnosed with holes in his lungs requiring immediate surgeries. Then, unspeakable tragedy struck the family in July, when the Middletons’ five-year-old daughter Scarlett died unexpectedly from an undiagnosed illness. The shock and trauma of Scarlett’s passing has shaken the family to its core. The family’s little ray of light, Scarlett loved to sing “You Are My Sunshine.” Through pain and inspiration, Holly promised to keep alive the joy Scarlett brought to everybody who knew her. The grieving mother created a charity called “Scarlett’s Sunshine” to use random acts of kindness to induce spontaneous smiles. The Middletons’ home in St. Petersburg—the first they’ve owned since Aaron joined the Corps—needs a lot of help. Military Makeover and its compassionate partners are working to make it a place of healing and solace for this deserving military family.