Support for the Sletten (Stukenholtz) Family

Hi, my name is John, and I'm fundraising for my friends, the Sletten family, Jolene, Haakon, Lucy and Arthur.

Jolene is in the Army; we served together at the Fort Richardson Soldier-Centered Medical Home on JBER in Anchorage, AK. Jolene is still stationed at JBER. Jolene and Haakon (Hawk-on) have two children, Lucy (~3) and Arthur (9 months). Around the time of Arthur's eight-month birthday, he began having sudden neurological changes and was admitted to the largest hospital in Anchorage. A few days later, he was put on a ventilator due to respiratory failure and diagnosed with infant botulism-type A. Likely Arthur contracted botulism by inhaling invisible dust spores that were able to colonize his young GI tract.

Usually, children with botulism are intubated for weeks while they are treated and regain muscular function and recover. In Arthur's case, however, the attending PICU physician removed Arthur's ventilator tube after only a few days. Because he was paralyzed from the botulism toxin, this poor decision and lack of critical thinking led to Arthur's inability to breathe, and his heart stopped pumping. He had a prolonged arrest (~35 minutes of CPR), and because his heart wasn't working, his brain did not get enough blood leading to a severe ischemic brain injury.

About two weeks after this incident, Arthur was transferred from Anchorage to Children's Hospital in Omaha. Jolene, Haakon and Lucy are staying in a hotel and need a vehicle. Arthur has been in the PICU for a month and will have an extended hospital stay. He will need extensive rehab and long-term care. Right now, the family is staying optimistic about Arthur's future despite all the obstacles he may now face in the future from the brain injury.

While the Slettens are in Omaha for the foreseeable future, they still have bills (such as a mortgage) in Anchorage. They would also like to provide some stability for Lucy. At this time, funding will help them cover the costs of an Airbnb/rental house, rental car, food, programs for Lucy, and other miscellaneous expenses. For example, one shipment of flying Jolene's frozen breast milk from Anchorage to Omaha costs $400, and this expense will happen multiple times. Any assistance you might lend will help them over the next few months and during this difficult time.

Thank you for your time and consideration.