A Bike for Gavin's 17th Birthday!
Donation protected
Unfortunatly, Gavin was not one of the lucky recipients of an adaptive bike in the Great Bike Giveaway. Lets not stop our efforts to get him a bike he will enjoy for years to come.
In June Gavin will be 17! Help make his birthday that much more special and pull together to get an adaptive bike. This bike will give Gavin more oppertunities to be involved in family activities.
For those of you who are not familiar with Gavin's story, please take the time to read it below. He is a remarkable kid who deserves the world! In his soon to be 17 years, he has had to fight for his life more than most will have to in a lifetime.
Gavin was born on June 12, 1999. On September 21st 1999, when he was 3 months old, he was diagnosed with Hydranencephaly. That’s when Gavin’s mother, Angie, learned that she would soon lose her son. The doctors told her that Gavin wouldn’t live to see his first birthday. Hydranencephaly is a rare neurological condition in which most of the cerebral hemispheres are absent and replaced with fluid. In other words, part of the brain is missing. When Gavin was 9 months old he had his first surgery, a VP shunt, to help treat the excess fluid in his brain. Angie soon realized that her special child was a fighter. After countless doctor visits and hospital stays her son was still surviving, despite his odds. In 2004, when Gavin was 5 years old, he got a G-tube, gastronomy tube. This is a tube that is inserted directly into the stomach to deliver nutrients. For the most part he was doing well, with the exception of a few minor things. In 2009 Gavin’s health took a turn. On January 22, 2009 Gavin was takin to the hospital where he had a CT done. The Ct showed that he had a bleed in his brainstem. He was rushed to a nearby children’s hospital where he was admitted into the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and intubated for 11 days. Doctors told Angie to prepare for the worst, but Gavin wasn’t ready to stop fighting. On November 19, 2009 he had to be Life-Flighted to the PICU again where he was diagnosed with H1N1 and Pneumonia. He was intubated and had to stay for 3 weeks. Again his outlook was bleak, but in true Gavin style, he fought. A year later almost to the date, he was hospitalized again for about another 2 weeks, this time for aspiration pneumonia. He was discharged on December 2nd only to return on the 31st staying for another 2 weeks. On February 17, 2011 Gavin underwent Nissen Fundoplication Surgery. This is a procedure where the stomach is wrapped around the lower end of the esophagus and stitched in place. This is to stop acid from backing up into the esophagus. In Gavin’s case, he would aspirate (breath in) the acid causing pneumonia. He was hospitalized and intubated and few more times since the surgery between 2011 and 2013, but has shown some significant improvement. On May 12, 2014 Gavin had a spinal fusion done; he had a metal rod inserted into his spine. This helped correct the severe curvature of his spine and help alleviate any discomfort he was in. In July he was hospitalized for 10 days for an infection along the rod, he was discharged on July 28, 2014. Since his last surgery, Gavin continues thrive. He is a true fighter, a warrior trapped in an inadequate body.
Thank you for your support!!
In June Gavin will be 17! Help make his birthday that much more special and pull together to get an adaptive bike. This bike will give Gavin more oppertunities to be involved in family activities.
For those of you who are not familiar with Gavin's story, please take the time to read it below. He is a remarkable kid who deserves the world! In his soon to be 17 years, he has had to fight for his life more than most will have to in a lifetime.
Gavin was born on June 12, 1999. On September 21st 1999, when he was 3 months old, he was diagnosed with Hydranencephaly. That’s when Gavin’s mother, Angie, learned that she would soon lose her son. The doctors told her that Gavin wouldn’t live to see his first birthday. Hydranencephaly is a rare neurological condition in which most of the cerebral hemispheres are absent and replaced with fluid. In other words, part of the brain is missing. When Gavin was 9 months old he had his first surgery, a VP shunt, to help treat the excess fluid in his brain. Angie soon realized that her special child was a fighter. After countless doctor visits and hospital stays her son was still surviving, despite his odds. In 2004, when Gavin was 5 years old, he got a G-tube, gastronomy tube. This is a tube that is inserted directly into the stomach to deliver nutrients. For the most part he was doing well, with the exception of a few minor things. In 2009 Gavin’s health took a turn. On January 22, 2009 Gavin was takin to the hospital where he had a CT done. The Ct showed that he had a bleed in his brainstem. He was rushed to a nearby children’s hospital where he was admitted into the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and intubated for 11 days. Doctors told Angie to prepare for the worst, but Gavin wasn’t ready to stop fighting. On November 19, 2009 he had to be Life-Flighted to the PICU again where he was diagnosed with H1N1 and Pneumonia. He was intubated and had to stay for 3 weeks. Again his outlook was bleak, but in true Gavin style, he fought. A year later almost to the date, he was hospitalized again for about another 2 weeks, this time for aspiration pneumonia. He was discharged on December 2nd only to return on the 31st staying for another 2 weeks. On February 17, 2011 Gavin underwent Nissen Fundoplication Surgery. This is a procedure where the stomach is wrapped around the lower end of the esophagus and stitched in place. This is to stop acid from backing up into the esophagus. In Gavin’s case, he would aspirate (breath in) the acid causing pneumonia. He was hospitalized and intubated and few more times since the surgery between 2011 and 2013, but has shown some significant improvement. On May 12, 2014 Gavin had a spinal fusion done; he had a metal rod inserted into his spine. This helped correct the severe curvature of his spine and help alleviate any discomfort he was in. In July he was hospitalized for 10 days for an infection along the rod, he was discharged on July 28, 2014. Since his last surgery, Gavin continues thrive. He is a true fighter, a warrior trapped in an inadequate body.
Thank you for your support!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Makenzy Haas
Organizer
Perrysburg, OH
Angie Engle
Beneficiary
