King of our Hearts Ride for Mav
Donation protected
Mavrik John Laxton is an 8
year old boy who was born with a congenital heart defect known as Hypoplastic
Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). This is a defect in which the structures of the
left side of the heart are underdeveloped and unable to pump blood adequately
to the body. Mavrik has had 8 open-heart surgeries from birth to the present.
He went through what is known as the Norwood Procedure which entails 3 stages
to get him to live a somewhat normal life. However, during his 2nd
surgery, he had a stroke which impaired the right side of his body. The next
few surgeries were to try to fix his left pulmonary artery which is necessary
for oxygen exchange from the heart to the lungs, these surgeries did not work.
We were left with just one functioning lung.
In order to do the last stage of the Norwood, one really needs 2 lungs;
however, Mavrik is truly a miracle. We went for the 3rd procedure
and he is with us today. Despite all these obstacles, Mavrik truly lives up to
his name, "independent, strong-willed, non-stopping personality". If it was not
for his fighting spirit, we may not have him here today.
Through it all, he remains a pint-sized dynamo who does not let anything stand in the way of his true passion - Baseball! He plays on 2 teams, little league and Buddy ball (a team for all handicapped children). He absolutely LOVES the Phillies!
In February of 2011, he developed a condition known as Protein Losing Enteropathy, PLE. This disease is more fatal than his heart condition and his heart was not "happy". We needed to replace his only valve, the tricuspid valve, with a pig valve. Post-operatively, he went into remission. Unfortunately to date, he had a big setback. The pig valve is failing already and we have 3 options to chose from, 1) Replace the valve with another pig valve; 2) Replace the valve with a mechanical valve, which means blood thinners all his life, as a child this is hard; and 3) Heart transplant using one lung. Very difficult decision to make.
This is to inform you that Mavrik's friends and family are calling upon help from the community for a fundraiser. Any donations for door prizes, raffles and auction items would be greatly appreciated.
Please make checks payable to Maria Reese
Items and checks can be sent to
Maria Reese
700 Antietam Dr,
Douglassville, PA 19518
Sports teams: We are looking for signed/autographed items such as, baseballs, jerseys, hats, etc. Any monetary donations are also welcome.
Through it all, he remains a pint-sized dynamo who does not let anything stand in the way of his true passion - Baseball! He plays on 2 teams, little league and Buddy ball (a team for all handicapped children). He absolutely LOVES the Phillies!
In February of 2011, he developed a condition known as Protein Losing Enteropathy, PLE. This disease is more fatal than his heart condition and his heart was not "happy". We needed to replace his only valve, the tricuspid valve, with a pig valve. Post-operatively, he went into remission. Unfortunately to date, he had a big setback. The pig valve is failing already and we have 3 options to chose from, 1) Replace the valve with another pig valve; 2) Replace the valve with a mechanical valve, which means blood thinners all his life, as a child this is hard; and 3) Heart transplant using one lung. Very difficult decision to make.
This is to inform you that Mavrik's friends and family are calling upon help from the community for a fundraiser. Any donations for door prizes, raffles and auction items would be greatly appreciated.
Please make checks payable to Maria Reese
Items and checks can be sent to
Maria Reese
700 Antietam Dr,
Douglassville, PA 19518
Sports teams: We are looking for signed/autographed items such as, baseballs, jerseys, hats, etc. Any monetary donations are also welcome.
Organizer
Kim Wilkinson-Kahn
Organizer
Amity Gardens, PA
