#bentnotbroken for Zephie
Donation protected
Meet Zephie. A sweet, kind, loving 9 year old. Full of so much life and love, she endlessly gives joy to others. Zephie was born with a rare chromosome deletion only 15 others in the world are known to have. She hasn’t let this stop her a second of her life. She has faced more trials in her life than most grown adults have in their lifetime.
When she was 8 weeks old she had open heart surgery to fix two holes in her heart. This surgery was a huge success, and we are grateful every day for the strength her body has shown.
When she was 1, her little body began a new fight with epilepsy. This has been an ongoing battle ever since, and they are thankful for every day the seizures haven’t returned. She has had a very beautiful life filled with so many days showing those around her that love is all we really need in this world.
At 9, Zephie is facing a new battle in her life with Scoliosis. She has a 100 degree curve in her lower lumbar that needs surgical intervention. In order to stop the curve from impacting her lungs and heart, they will fuse the bottom of her spine with a series of screws and rods. While the lower part of her spine is not the only part with a curve, doctors are hopeful the release of pressure on the lumbar will straighten out the thoracic curve, and prevent a future surgery down the road.
This surgery is considered one of the most painful to recover from. She will be out of school for 4-6 weeks. Full recovery is one year, with a lot of expensive therapies after surgery. A long road ahead and in the short term the pain is going to be the hard for this young love to get through. She will need constant care to ensure she is eating well, sleeping and getting through her days in the least painful manner.
The surgery is being performed at Shriners in Portland. Shriners provides financial assistance for the surgery itself, and part of the post operative care. The first three nights after surgery however, she will need to be in the PICU at Dornbecher. This hospital is out of network with her family's insurance.
Any amount of money to alleviate the stress of medical bills will have a huge impact on Zephie's family. The medical bills are already overwhelming with just the pre-surgery visits. Because of her rare chromosome deletion the type of care she gets is very specific and the options are limited, thus expensive.
Having to go through major surgery with a child is more than enough for any family to have to manage. The stress of paying for it as well as the therapies afterward is beyond challenging . Any amount you can help their family with is a gift and blessing they are beyond grateful for.
Her zest for life is so strong. We are asking the community to show up for Zephie in the same way she lights up every room she is in with her love and determination.
When she was 8 weeks old she had open heart surgery to fix two holes in her heart. This surgery was a huge success, and we are grateful every day for the strength her body has shown.
When she was 1, her little body began a new fight with epilepsy. This has been an ongoing battle ever since, and they are thankful for every day the seizures haven’t returned. She has had a very beautiful life filled with so many days showing those around her that love is all we really need in this world.
At 9, Zephie is facing a new battle in her life with Scoliosis. She has a 100 degree curve in her lower lumbar that needs surgical intervention. In order to stop the curve from impacting her lungs and heart, they will fuse the bottom of her spine with a series of screws and rods. While the lower part of her spine is not the only part with a curve, doctors are hopeful the release of pressure on the lumbar will straighten out the thoracic curve, and prevent a future surgery down the road.
This surgery is considered one of the most painful to recover from. She will be out of school for 4-6 weeks. Full recovery is one year, with a lot of expensive therapies after surgery. A long road ahead and in the short term the pain is going to be the hard for this young love to get through. She will need constant care to ensure she is eating well, sleeping and getting through her days in the least painful manner.
The surgery is being performed at Shriners in Portland. Shriners provides financial assistance for the surgery itself, and part of the post operative care. The first three nights after surgery however, she will need to be in the PICU at Dornbecher. This hospital is out of network with her family's insurance.
Any amount of money to alleviate the stress of medical bills will have a huge impact on Zephie's family. The medical bills are already overwhelming with just the pre-surgery visits. Because of her rare chromosome deletion the type of care she gets is very specific and the options are limited, thus expensive.
Having to go through major surgery with a child is more than enough for any family to have to manage. The stress of paying for it as well as the therapies afterward is beyond challenging . Any amount you can help their family with is a gift and blessing they are beyond grateful for.
Her zest for life is so strong. We are asking the community to show up for Zephie in the same way she lights up every room she is in with her love and determination.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jenny Isailovski
Organizer
Lake Oswego, OR
Shereen Ankrum
Beneficiary
