Help Remove Anastasia's Extra Thumb

My niece Anastasia was born with an extra thumb on her right hand.  In most circumstances when this happens it is just cartilage and they are able to just snip it off at birth but in her circumstance it is an actual thumb with a bone and tendons.  In this case it would have to be surgically removed by a specialist and would require her to be put under with anesthesia which would require her to be one years old. 

Last summer Anastasia turned one and we were able to find a specialist in Minneapolis to do the surgery.  This required a trip to Minneapolis, MN and several procedures to determine if she was able to have the surgery.  This past winter she was finally approved with the clearance to be able to have the surgery and it is scheduled this summer right before her second birthday.

This will require a week in Minneapolis, MN and two separate follow-up trips after the surgery.  Since Anastasia and her family live in Mandan, ND, this will require some travel and lodging expenses.  Also insurance did not cover all the medical expenses that were already incurred for pre-surgery procedures.

Anastasia’s extra thumb has caused her some frustration at times when playing and doing normal things we take for granted.  This winter it was hard to get her mittens that she would wear since they do not sell mittens with extra thumbs, but luckily she has a wonderful great grandma who knits and made her special mittens.  Dressing her in the morning and putting on her coat also causes some challenge since her extra thumb always gets caught which causes her discomfort.  Even when playing we can see that Anastasia gets frustrated because she cannot pick up things and the thumb gets calloused and red because it gets in the way.

Any support provide is greatly appreciated to help Anastasia’s family to be with her during her surgery and with her follow up trips so she can put her struggle and frustration behind her.