Support for Sam

On January 20, 2014, Sam, son of Jeffrey and Rachel and brother to Benjamin, went sledding with friends and to the movies in the afternoon. That evening he took two bites of his dinner and immediately doubled over in pain. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and admitted to Maine Medical Center. Within a week, he started having other symptoms, and, after testing, was diagnosed with severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease as well. Despite aggressive medical treatment, Sam’s health continued to deteriorate. He suffered in constant pain, was treated for a serious bacterial infection, had multiple blood transfusions, and required a PICC Line for nutrition. On March 13, 2014, after all medical options were exhausted, Sam underwent surgery and was given a total colectomy with an end ileostomy. Diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, he was discharged from the hospital and in the past nine months underwent two additional surgeries and another hospitalization to treat infection. Recently, Sam was admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital with a recurrence of acute pancreatitis. He has spent 92 days in the hospital during the last year.

Complications have arisen that will require Sam to endure additional surgeries during the upcoming year. The best chance for successful surgery and Sam’s opportunity to live life without an ostomy necessitate treatment at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, the top center for IBD in the world. Please consider making a financial contribution to help Sam’s family defer out-of-pocket medical expenses and medically necessary travel costs.