Go Gavin Go! Help Me Walk

Gavin was born in 2010 as a micro-preemie weighing 1 pound 3 ounces. To put that in perspective, there are baked potatoes bigger than he was. After spending 158 days in the NICU at Scottsdale Shea he came home to us on oxygen and 24/7 observation and care as we continued to nurse him to health. Gavin was diagnosed with Cerebral Diplegia which is a form of Cerebral Palsy. He had a gastric tube (G-tube) put in which allows to help feed him and help him put on weight and gain muscle strength and tone. Gavin gets physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy weekly. He continues to work on developing gross motor skills and is in developmental preschool 4 days a week. In October of 2013 we were hit with a prognosis that Gavin would need major hip surgery to correct his hip displasia. We were told they would need to go in and break his hips, cut bone and ligaments and tendons, place rods, plates and screws and then cast him from the armpits down with a 3-4 week hospital recovery time and then a 3-4 month cast period recovery at home. He would then need to re-learn everything he has physically been able to do. As a result, we found a very special couple at Orthotic Specialists in Phoenix that have been able to custom fit him for special AFO's (Ankle-Foot Orthotics) that are helping him stand correctly and evenly disburse his weight. They also fitted him for a SPIO (special needs compression garment) that is being made in England and will be here shortly! Both of these are designed to help him walk. He is currently using a little walker with supervision and guidance with his therapists and with us. On January 15th he will see the top Peds Orthopedic surgeon in the country at Boston Children Hospital in their CP clinic for a 2nd opinion! As you can imagine, raising a special needs child with ongoing medical needs and specialty items not covered by insurance gets extremely expensive. As you can also imagine, we will continue to do whatever we possibly can to give him the best care and best chances to grow and thrive - as would you for your child!
Please help us in this next phase as we face the challenges of paying for these medical and travel expenses.