Over 20 surgeries left to go!
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Caine and I’m almost 8 years old. I live in Alabama but I get to travel a bunch. Every month, I have to go to Denver, Colorado for surgery, well actually two surgeries, because I have something called a vascular malformation. The doctor told my mom that I’ve got too many blood vessels in my pelvic area and all down my left leg. I’m not sure what all of this means but I do get to fly to Denver every month to visit with Dr. Yakes; he’s cool and collects comic books and even gave me a Green Lantern comic book that I could sell (don’t worry Dr. Yakes, I’m keeping it forever!). I really like Dr. Yakes and all the nurses at Swedish Medical Center but I REALLY HATE the surgeries. I get to have injections of alcohol in all these extra blood vessels to make them go away. I can’t feel it because they make me go to sleep but when I wake up it hurts and I’m ready to go home but I can’t leave because they make me spend the night so they can put me to sleep and do it all over again the next day. I usually get to go back to the hotel after the second surgery so I can get on the plane and fly home. It’s hard to walk afterwards and I’ve got big blisters on my leg from the alcohol injections; but sometimes, the people on the airplane let me lay down in the seat.
I like being a kid and always have fun. My mom is in nursing school and my dad works. I have two sisters that I really like to boss around but they tattle tell on me. My mom usually takes me to Denver but she says nursing school is hard and she has to be in class a lot of times so sometimes my Maw Maw gets to take me instead. We get to stay two nights in a hotel and two days at the hospital. I’m in the second grade and my teacher is really nice because she lets me miss three days of school every month and if I have to use a wheelchair when I get back she lets me do that too. My mom said that I have to have a special diet so my school lets me have more protein if my mom pays extra. Last week I got two new pairs of shoes for school but they look the same because my left foot is bigger than my right foot. So far, nobody says anything about it but I hope my foot gets fixed soon. I don’t get to play in the gym because the doctor told my mom that my platelet count was too low and I had to wear a special bracelet. She also told the school that if I bump my head I have to go to the emergency room and that bracelet would tell the doctor to give me more platelets. Dr. Yakes said when he fixes all the extra blood vessels I will have enough platelets to take the bracelet off. I think that only girls wear bracelets so I can’t wait to get rid of it. I almost forgot to tell everyone that I just got selected for Make A Wish and I am wishing that I get to go to LEGOLAND in Orlando!
Well, I hope you enjoyed learning more about me. I’m just a normal 8 year old boy that has a couple of problems. Thanks for reading, you can see pictures of me below!
Caine
It is estimated that Caine will need to have at least 20 more visits to Denver with each visit covering two surgeries. Since the appointments aren’t always scheduled early enough we can’t always get the best price for tickets. With each visit to Denver, we have to stay in a hotel two nights and ride in a taxi to and from the airport and to and from the hospital. The travel cost can be about $3,800 per month. Insurance co-pays and deductibles are $7,500 per year and combined with the average cost of prescriptions, ER visits, custom made shoes, and compression stockings it’s about $11,200 per year. Special food and protein shakes averages $500 per month. Altogether, the estimated cost of Caine getting the remaining 20 visits to Denver is $125,000. We have been doing this for the last 3 years and the end is in sight but the bills just continue to add up.
If you read this and want to help, please do. If you think Caine is cool, let me know. If you don’t mind, please share this with others. Once the problems Caine has are corrected, any amount donated over what is required will be given to Make-A-Wish.
I like being a kid and always have fun. My mom is in nursing school and my dad works. I have two sisters that I really like to boss around but they tattle tell on me. My mom usually takes me to Denver but she says nursing school is hard and she has to be in class a lot of times so sometimes my Maw Maw gets to take me instead. We get to stay two nights in a hotel and two days at the hospital. I’m in the second grade and my teacher is really nice because she lets me miss three days of school every month and if I have to use a wheelchair when I get back she lets me do that too. My mom said that I have to have a special diet so my school lets me have more protein if my mom pays extra. Last week I got two new pairs of shoes for school but they look the same because my left foot is bigger than my right foot. So far, nobody says anything about it but I hope my foot gets fixed soon. I don’t get to play in the gym because the doctor told my mom that my platelet count was too low and I had to wear a special bracelet. She also told the school that if I bump my head I have to go to the emergency room and that bracelet would tell the doctor to give me more platelets. Dr. Yakes said when he fixes all the extra blood vessels I will have enough platelets to take the bracelet off. I think that only girls wear bracelets so I can’t wait to get rid of it. I almost forgot to tell everyone that I just got selected for Make A Wish and I am wishing that I get to go to LEGOLAND in Orlando!
Well, I hope you enjoyed learning more about me. I’m just a normal 8 year old boy that has a couple of problems. Thanks for reading, you can see pictures of me below!
Caine
It is estimated that Caine will need to have at least 20 more visits to Denver with each visit covering two surgeries. Since the appointments aren’t always scheduled early enough we can’t always get the best price for tickets. With each visit to Denver, we have to stay in a hotel two nights and ride in a taxi to and from the airport and to and from the hospital. The travel cost can be about $3,800 per month. Insurance co-pays and deductibles are $7,500 per year and combined with the average cost of prescriptions, ER visits, custom made shoes, and compression stockings it’s about $11,200 per year. Special food and protein shakes averages $500 per month. Altogether, the estimated cost of Caine getting the remaining 20 visits to Denver is $125,000. We have been doing this for the last 3 years and the end is in sight but the bills just continue to add up.
If you read this and want to help, please do. If you think Caine is cool, let me know. If you don’t mind, please share this with others. Once the problems Caine has are corrected, any amount donated over what is required will be given to Make-A-Wish.
Organizer
Craig Brasfield
Organizer
Bucksville, AL
