Evie Green's Heart Surgeries

Evie was born on April 12, 2019. At 24 hours old, she had trouble breathing and it was quickly discovered that she had several congenital heart defects including Pulmonary Atresia, VSD, ASD, and RV to Aorta. She was rushed to the Children's Hospital of Atlanta for treatment. Within a few days, she had a stent put in and a surgery scheduled at four months. The surgery was completed, but unfortunately her condition deteriorated a few weeks afterward. The VSD patch from that surgery is leaking and a second surgery is required soon - hopefully in early December, God willing. She’s at CHOA and stable and smiling once again.   My wife and I live in Columbus, Georgia, which is 2 hours from CHOA. One of us is always with Evie in Atlanta, while the other stays in Columbus with our other daughter, Maddie Jo. We are trading out on the weekends so we can see our other daughter and so I can continue to work and not lose pay and benefits. I have a wonderful job with great benefits and colleagues who have donated leave, but Evie’s initial stays in the hospital have drained even those donations - so work must go on. This is a humbling experience for me as I've always prided myself on my ability to provide for my family. Right now Emily and I are stretched thin: living out of suitcases, not being together as a complete family, balancing work and time amongst our daughters. But our second-largest concern - after the health of Evie - is the financial burden: expenses for traveling back and forth from Atlanta, food while in the hospital, and insurance costs for an unexpected, quick second surgery are all preventing us from being fully focused on Evie. We’ve received and continue to receive great support from friends and family in the form of meals, chores, donated work leave, free babysitting, and sympathetic ears. Any contribution to the costs for Evie’s care would also be greatly appreciated. I would be thrilled and humbled further if we were to even receive a fraction of our goal. Whether it’s $1, $100, or just an encouraging message, it’s appreciated. Love, Matt