On January 26, 2024, Wallace (Wally) Reed Anderson (at just 10 days old) was taken to OSF St. Francis Medical Center to be admitted for what they thought was jaundice. When they arrived at the hospital they discovered he was in multiple organ failure due to an undetected congenital heart defect, called a Coarctation of the Aorta. That night Wally coded twice, starting the scariest 48hrs Jessica and Kyle could possibly endure.

As of now, it is unclear if it's a genetic disorder, but it is a fairly rare condition that happened when his ductus arteriosus closed and also started to close his aorta. Wallace is scheduled for his first heart surgery this Tuesday, 2/6. Currently, he has two other heart defects they aren't going to treat at the moment. After this one is fixed, it is possible he will have to have a balloon catheter inserted to fix his bicuspid valve.

The surgery itself has a pretty high success rate and low risk. However, since the aortic valve was already pretty much closed when they arrived at the hospital and caused organ failure, he has a long, unknown road of recovery ahead of him. Wallace has proven to be a fighter and we are very hopeful, but the unknown of the extent of damage his body has gone through has not been fully accessed yet.

Jessica and Kyle have been at the hospital by his side since last Friday while the wonderful team in the Neonatal Critical Care unit gets his little body back to stable so he can withstand surgery. Every doctor at the hospital has told them they are the only reason Wallace is still alive and they saved his life. And just how lucky he is... If it weren't for their persistence of getting him seen when they knew something was wrong, he might not be here today fighting. Most kids who aren't diagnosed at birth with this condition, don't make it back to the hospital in time.

I have started this goFund me on behalf of my family to offset a small percentage of the medical cost they will incur caring and fighting for Wally over the next month, and beyond.

Jessica (mom), Kyle (dad), and big sister Alexis appreciate all of the love and support they have received through this difficult time. If you are not able to financially support this amazing family, please share this GoFund Me and continue with your healing thoughts and prayers.