The Heart Matters

Ok! Buckle up because we are about to go for a ride! Sawyer is going to Doernbecher September 28th for a heart diagnostic test because his cardiologist believes he is in need of urgent HEART SURGERY.

Monday Sept 13th, Sawyer went to his 6-month regular cardiology appointment when Elexis was informed that due to what was seen in Sawyer's images of his heart, the cardiologist needed to have a private consultation with the Pediatric Cardiac Surgeons. The cardiologist would be in touch with her within two weeks. By Friday Sept 17th, the surgeons requested urgent diagnostic testing at Doernbecher. The cardiologist informed Elexis that this surgery is inevitable and they need to do this urgently before Sawyer becomes seriously ill. This is not a small procedure. Sawyer will undergo open heart surgery. There is no other option.

We are asking for more help from anyone who can. The original campaign request was $10,000 because Sawyer would need multiple surgeries and ongoing diagnostic testing. This would provide the means for housing, gas, and food during hospital stays from Sawyer's first surgery and any consecutive surgeries he would be having. We are still hoping to achieve this ultimate goal of $10,000.

Elexis needs a minimum of $1000 by September 27th to get Sawyer to the hospital. It is last minute testing, so there is no availability for the Ronald McDonald House.

During the first round of surgeries we were able to raise $1,850 and that was a tremendous help! Thank you all for your prayers and contributions.

Over the last 25 months, Sawyer has been growing, playing, learning and doing better than expected. However, over the last 15 months Sawyer has only gained 8 pounds. This puts him in less than 20th percentile for weight per height. Recently, Sawyer has hit a plateau in growth and this is very concerning.

The Cardiologist explained that Sawyer's heart is expending so much energy to maintain itself, that no nutrients are going toward Sawyer's body for growth. Sawyer's heart is having both right and left-sided issues. The valve that was repaired as an infant is no longer sufficient. The diagnostic testing he will undergo will be the deciding factor as to whether they repair the valve, or replace the valve completely. If they replace the valve, it will not grow with Sawyer as he grows. This means he will have to undergo several surgeries throughout his childhood and well into adulthood.

This family is in need of your prayers and contributions. If you cannot contribute financially, please help us raise money by sharing this to your news feed. Again, we need to raise $1,000 by September 27th. We will need another $1,000 between the 4th and 5th of October. At this time so many things are unknown. Elexis has been given no solid answers. This could be a 1 week stay or a 6 month stay. The surgeon said this was urgent and decisions will be made quickly for the safety of Sawyer. We will keep you updated as we go.

Thank you all for your help!