Athena - challenges ahead

Athena is a happy, curious six-year-old whose little family has faced unusually large medical, emotional and financial challenges. Athena was born premature at 2 lbs, and spent the first 18 months of her life in hospitals. Athena has had more than 20 operations, including heart surgery.

In the NICU they inserted a tube into her throat which scarred her airway.

Now Athena has an external trachea tube in her neck and, at night, is hooked up to machines to assist with breathing. She is fed through a tube directly into her stomach. She can’t be in daycare, so her parents and grandparents care for her – and love it – but it has greatly impacted everyone’s ability to work full time.

Athena’s future looks bright but the road ahead is still challenging – surgeries to rebuild her trachea, travel back and forth to CHEO in Ottawa and therapies to teach her to speak and eat orally.

The costs for time away from work, overnight stays, meals away from home and specialized therapies are daunting. Living costs have barely been met due to all of this - and the COVID-19 pandemic has made things more difficult.

The funds raised through this Go Fund Me page will be used to assist with these urgent therapies, as well as respite care and expenses. We hope to provide a little relief from the enormous pressures Athena and her parents are under.

Side note: In 2018 and 2019, Athena’s grateful family was instrumental in organizing fundraisers, and raised more than $22,000 to support the NICU and paediatric wings at Kingston General Hospital.

*Athena has always helped others; now she and her family could use some friendly help.

Any small donation is appreciated. Thank you, from our hearts.