Support Sawyer’s Fight

I’m writing on behalf of my brother Michael, sister-in-law Ali, and their two amazing daughters, Elsie and Sawyer. At seven weeks old, Sawyer caught a virus that began giving her difficulty eating and breathing. Because of Ali’s background as a NICU nurse she knew she had to get Sawyer to the ER. They arrived at the hospital Sunday evening Aug 6th. Ali knew this was beyond viral, but it took a few days for the medical team to finally agree to her request for an echocardiogram. That was completed on Tuesday Aug 8th after 2 days of struggling to breathe.

They identified that Sawyer had an enlarged heart caused by a rare condition called ALCAPA, which affects only 1 in every 300,000 babies. Through Ali’s tenacity and medical knowledge they caught this in the nick of time. It quickly escalated from a virus to her heart being on the verge of collapsing. It was clear Sawyer needed more specialized care so she was airlifted to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. Ali and Sawyer were greeted by one of the best cardiac teams ever assembled. The team of surgeons were direct and transparent on the severity of Sawyer’s condition and made it clear they had to move quickly.

Little Sawyer's surgery took place Thursday morning, August 10th, and lasted approximately 9.5 hours. They were able to relocate her artery and repair her tiny little heart. We can’t thank the entire Cardiac Unit at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. enough. They have all gone above and beyond to give this little baby the best possible chance at life. We are forever in their debt.

Sawyer is now 8 weeks old. How a baby so young has the will and fight to survive such an ordeal is something only God can explain.

As a father, brother, and uncle, this hits me on so many levels. I do not have the words to explain how difficult it has been to see Sawyer with her chest cracked open, wires, leads, and tubes going in every direction with 12 different monitors and screens measuring everything under the sun. As hard as it has been to witness, watching the strength of Sawyer, Elsie, Michael, and Ali is the most remarkable thing I’ve ever seen. I am in awe of how this family has fought so hard together for Sawyer.

Sawyer is not out of the woods yet. The next two weeks are crucial for her. She is progressing and her heart is functioning, but again, this is a race that is minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. We are taking nothing for granted, and pray that she continues to progress. If all continues to go well, she will be in the ICU for another month.

So many of you have reached out asking how to help. Michael and Ali so appreciate the help they have gotten so far, with friends and family watching Elsie so they can be at the hospital, providing home cooked meals, sitting by their side giving them support and strength, and mowing the grass and helping with their pets. You have offered anything and everything. Many of you that cannot physically be here continue to ask us the best way to help. With the amount of procedures and the follow up care Sawyer will need there will no doubt be plenty of medical bills to pay. During this time, Michael and Ali will have to forgo some of their work in order to focus on their top priority: taking care of Sawyer and Elsie. We are trying to raise money to help offset any income loss and unexpected bills that they will no doubt encounter. We want to rally around them as a community of friends and family to help alleviate any financial concerns so they can focus on what is most important.

Life is precious. We all know that. Seeing any loved ones go through something like this changes someone forever for the better. A wise man told me that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Sawyer is exactly that. At 8 weeks old she is the toughest Halbach yet. Thank you for fighting alongside her.