Davids lifesaving surgery
Donation protected
We are raising funds for our son David who needs a lifesaving surgery.
Born in June 2014, David is now 14 months old. We were more than happy to welcome him and his identical twin Tom to our family. His brother Matti, at the time less than 2 years old, was super excited to become a big brother to not only one but two babies at once.
The day the twins were born was one of the happiest days for us. However, our family’s life turned upside down after discovering that David could not swallow. Right away, he was diagnosed with a malformation of the oesophagus. His oesophagus was not connected to his stomach (oesophageal atresia) and instead there was a fistula from his stomach to his lung. David was directly sent to surgery and after a successful procedure, it seemed that everything was fixed within the first twenty-four hours of his life. Everyone thought all would be alright…. but unfortunately this was only the start of a very long and painful journey. Instead of getting better, things got worse.
David experienced multiple complications and developed a new fistula from his oesophagus to his trachea, which is something that had to be repaired in another extensive and complicated surgery. Unfortunately, young David still had more challenges to come.
After 3 months in the hospital they found out that he had developed yet again, another fistula. This time the surgery took 9 hours and there were severe problems with his ventilation afterwards.
David needed to stay in hospital care for another 3 months, the entire time in ICU. Then in January 2015, David was 6 month old when we were finally able to bring him home. His homecoming indicated high hopes that he could grow up with his brothers and live a normal life. However, so far his stay at home has been in a very fragile condition. In July 2015 he had a medical check-up and a third re-fistula was found, this time going from his oesophagus directly to his lung and the trachea. Our dream of reaching a somewhat normal state was suddenly taken away. Now another surgery will have to be done to remove the new fistula. David is back now in hospital care.
This is a very rare and severe condition that hasn’t occurred in Germany in such severity for the last several years.
Despite their best efforts and attempts to help David, the surgeons in Germany do not have extensive experience concerning cases like his. Since this has to be his last surgery in the oesophagus we, as family and friends of the family, cannot take any chances.
Therefore we have decided to travel to Boston to have the surgery done at Children’s Hospital Boston, which is specialized in treating this deformity. Kids from all over the world are seen there and receive life-saving surgeries after they have had previous surgeries with unsatisfactory results or have developed complications as David did.
The costs involved for this surgery are incredibly high, and despite the contribution from our health insurance, much of the total cost is not covered.
We want nothing more than to give David the chance to have a normal life. The chance to grow up together with his twin brother Tom, like two peas in a pod that they are, and the chance to learn and grow with his older brother Matti.
Please help us….
Born in June 2014, David is now 14 months old. We were more than happy to welcome him and his identical twin Tom to our family. His brother Matti, at the time less than 2 years old, was super excited to become a big brother to not only one but two babies at once.
The day the twins were born was one of the happiest days for us. However, our family’s life turned upside down after discovering that David could not swallow. Right away, he was diagnosed with a malformation of the oesophagus. His oesophagus was not connected to his stomach (oesophageal atresia) and instead there was a fistula from his stomach to his lung. David was directly sent to surgery and after a successful procedure, it seemed that everything was fixed within the first twenty-four hours of his life. Everyone thought all would be alright…. but unfortunately this was only the start of a very long and painful journey. Instead of getting better, things got worse.
David experienced multiple complications and developed a new fistula from his oesophagus to his trachea, which is something that had to be repaired in another extensive and complicated surgery. Unfortunately, young David still had more challenges to come.
After 3 months in the hospital they found out that he had developed yet again, another fistula. This time the surgery took 9 hours and there were severe problems with his ventilation afterwards.
David needed to stay in hospital care for another 3 months, the entire time in ICU. Then in January 2015, David was 6 month old when we were finally able to bring him home. His homecoming indicated high hopes that he could grow up with his brothers and live a normal life. However, so far his stay at home has been in a very fragile condition. In July 2015 he had a medical check-up and a third re-fistula was found, this time going from his oesophagus directly to his lung and the trachea. Our dream of reaching a somewhat normal state was suddenly taken away. Now another surgery will have to be done to remove the new fistula. David is back now in hospital care.
This is a very rare and severe condition that hasn’t occurred in Germany in such severity for the last several years.
Despite their best efforts and attempts to help David, the surgeons in Germany do not have extensive experience concerning cases like his. Since this has to be his last surgery in the oesophagus we, as family and friends of the family, cannot take any chances.
Therefore we have decided to travel to Boston to have the surgery done at Children’s Hospital Boston, which is specialized in treating this deformity. Kids from all over the world are seen there and receive life-saving surgeries after they have had previous surgeries with unsatisfactory results or have developed complications as David did.
The costs involved for this surgery are incredibly high, and despite the contribution from our health insurance, much of the total cost is not covered.
We want nothing more than to give David the chance to have a normal life. The chance to grow up together with his twin brother Tom, like two peas in a pod that they are, and the chance to learn and grow with his older brother Matti.
Please help us….
Organizer
Kerstin Schillings
Organizer
Mainz
