#TeamColin

Many of you know Heather Reed as the owner of Monkey Bars who has helped hundreds of Alameda moms with advice on breastfeeding, baby gear, and support. She also has put in countless hours coaching boys’ youth basketball and volunteering her time to AYB. She now needs our support as she takes care of her son who is currently hospitalized.

Colin Rider is a 5th grader at Maya Lin and is currently in critical condition in the PICU at Children’s Hospital Oakland.

On April 14th, he was admitted with acute and severe abdominal distress. A day+ later, the surgical team @ Children’s discovered an acute bowel obstruction, likely caused by scar tissue (adhesions) from a previous emergency surgery when he was a baby (many of you likely remember this time in 2013). On Monday, the 17th, he underwent surgery to resolve the obstruction. However, once they began operating, they discovered that his condition was far worse than anticipated. Unfortunately, they were unable to close his abdomen as a result of the severe swelling. 48 hours later, they performed a second surgery and were able to successfully close his abdomen. He remained on a ventilator until the 20th and has been in critical condition since Monday, the 17th. He is still receiving a PICC line for nutrition, but we are hoping for a downgrade any day now (i.e. upgrade in condition, downgrade in severity).

To add insult to injury, Ethan (Colin's dad) just lost his own father suddenly and unexpectedly while Colin was in the hospital. It is a heartbreaking combination for both Colin and his dad.

Colin has a long road to recovery and at this time, we don't know how long he will be in the hospital. He will need physical therapy, emotional therapy, and most importantly, his Mom

by his side. Heather is a single mom recovering from breast cancer, who has not been able to work for the last several months.

Please consider throwing in what you can to alleviate this huge financial burden so Heather can focus on Colin getting well. All money will go to Heather to help pay for Colin's recovery and living expenses.

We thank you for your support and healing thoughts for Colin. This kid is a fighter!

Dede, Ilana, Veronica, and Kathleen