Sam Strong-Cincinnati Bound
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We are raising money for my brother's family. He (Sean) and his wife (Jamie) have four children. Sam, their youngest, will need to take several trips to Cinncinatti Children's Hospital, as his medical issues are quite complex and he needs the airway specialty that is located there. Insurance will cover Sam's care, but will not cover several trips of multiple day stays in Ohio or the time away from work. Jamie is unable to work due to Sam's medical issues and Sean no longer has the vacation or sick time to take off of work. Please read my sister's letter below for more details about Sam and his story.
Without any previous known complications, upon birth, Sam was immediately rushed to Minneapolis Children’s NICU. He was diagnosed with a rare birth defect and Down Syndrome. They were told he would have surgery and go home in a couple of weeks. Those few weeks turned into over seven, very bumpy months.
At four days old Sam had his first surgery.
He was given a feeding tube. Things were
going relatively well for Sam until he was about a month and a half old. He was scheduled to have surgery, but unfortunately surgery was cancelled as Sam went into cardiac arrest. It was unclear at the time why this had happened. About three weeks later, it happened again and then less than twenty-four hours he had another cardiac arrest; this time with more than ten minutes of chest compressions. Sam was quickly diagnosed with an even more rare birth defect. As a result, he was given a tracheostomy, a breathing tube. At three months old, Sam was scheduled to have the surgery everyone had been waiting for, since he was born. Everyone thought the surgery would be successful. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. His doctors would need to go with a relatively new and radical surgical process which would leave Sam in a medically induced coma for over a month. Through this series of surgeries, Sam had to lie completely still on his stomach for most of the sedation period. It would take two, sometimes three nurses to move his tiny head from side to side every four hours. If he would even flinch, he would quickly be given more meds. It took Sam almost four months to wean off the many heavy meds he was on. During this time, Sam would endure another cardiac arrest. Most did not think Sam would make it home. One of his doctors said Sam had “certainly impossible odds”. He was said to be “a work of a lot of science and a lot of art too”.
Finally, after seven months, Sam was able to go home for the very first time. He has had complication after complication. Sam’s journey is not over yet and there is much missing from this story. Sam is 100 percent dependent on a feeding tube and as of now, there is no timeline to remove his trach, breathing tube. He has endured over forty surgeries with more to come.
Although complicated, Sam is thriving at home (currently healthy) with his family and homecare nurses, while keeping them and medical team on their toes. He’s an incredible boy who continues to bless and win the hearts of many with his infectious smile and captivating personality.
Recently, Sam’s doctors decided to refer him to a hospital out of state, as they feel he’s become too complicated for their expertise. This will require them to make several trips back and forth to Cincinnati with their medically complex son. Thankfully, up until this point, insurance has covered most of Sam’s medical expenses. Unfortunately, insurance will not cover their travel costs.
Sam has become the hero in our family. We now live by the mottos Sam Strong and Faith over Fear. Faith that God will heal this precious boy. Our goal is to see that Sam has the best medical care possible so he may grow and flourish without medical issues and help cover lost wages as his mom has been out of work since his birth. We are in the works of securing a benefit for Sam. Please consider a donation of money and/or items for a silent auction to assist with his upcoming trips and procedures. Your support would mean so much to this amazing beautiful boy and the Grant Family.
Sam Strong,
Patty and Family
We are raising money for my brother's family. He (Sean) and his wife (Jamie) have four children. Sam, their youngest, will need to take several trips to Cinncinatti Children's Hospital, as his medical issues are quite complex and he needs the airway specialty that is located there. Insurance will cover Sam's care, but will not cover several trips of multiple day stays in Ohio or the time away from work. Jamie is unable to work due to Sam's medical issues and Sean no longer has the vacation or sick time to take off of work. Please read my sister's letter below for more details about Sam and his story.
Without any previous known complications, upon birth, Sam was immediately rushed to Minneapolis Children’s NICU. He was diagnosed with a rare birth defect and Down Syndrome. They were told he would have surgery and go home in a couple of weeks. Those few weeks turned into over seven, very bumpy months.
At four days old Sam had his first surgery.
He was given a feeding tube. Things were
going relatively well for Sam until he was about a month and a half old. He was scheduled to have surgery, but unfortunately surgery was cancelled as Sam went into cardiac arrest. It was unclear at the time why this had happened. About three weeks later, it happened again and then less than twenty-four hours he had another cardiac arrest; this time with more than ten minutes of chest compressions. Sam was quickly diagnosed with an even more rare birth defect. As a result, he was given a tracheostomy, a breathing tube. At three months old, Sam was scheduled to have the surgery everyone had been waiting for, since he was born. Everyone thought the surgery would be successful. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. His doctors would need to go with a relatively new and radical surgical process which would leave Sam in a medically induced coma for over a month. Through this series of surgeries, Sam had to lie completely still on his stomach for most of the sedation period. It would take two, sometimes three nurses to move his tiny head from side to side every four hours. If he would even flinch, he would quickly be given more meds. It took Sam almost four months to wean off the many heavy meds he was on. During this time, Sam would endure another cardiac arrest. Most did not think Sam would make it home. One of his doctors said Sam had “certainly impossible odds”. He was said to be “a work of a lot of science and a lot of art too”.
Finally, after seven months, Sam was able to go home for the very first time. He has had complication after complication. Sam’s journey is not over yet and there is much missing from this story. Sam is 100 percent dependent on a feeding tube and as of now, there is no timeline to remove his trach, breathing tube. He has endured over forty surgeries with more to come.
Although complicated, Sam is thriving at home (currently healthy) with his family and homecare nurses, while keeping them and medical team on their toes. He’s an incredible boy who continues to bless and win the hearts of many with his infectious smile and captivating personality.
Recently, Sam’s doctors decided to refer him to a hospital out of state, as they feel he’s become too complicated for their expertise. This will require them to make several trips back and forth to Cincinnati with their medically complex son. Thankfully, up until this point, insurance has covered most of Sam’s medical expenses. Unfortunately, insurance will not cover their travel costs.
Sam has become the hero in our family. We now live by the mottos Sam Strong and Faith over Fear. Faith that God will heal this precious boy. Our goal is to see that Sam has the best medical care possible so he may grow and flourish without medical issues and help cover lost wages as his mom has been out of work since his birth. We are in the works of securing a benefit for Sam. Please consider a donation of money and/or items for a silent auction to assist with his upcoming trips and procedures. Your support would mean so much to this amazing beautiful boy and the Grant Family.
Sam Strong,
Patty and Family
Organizer and beneficiary
Shannon Riebow
Organizer
Andover, MN
Jamie Grant
Beneficiary
