Addyson’s open heart surgery-Houston

This is Addyson Paul. She is a vibrant, soulful, and giving 13-year-old girl. She is a talented artist and loves to draw. She is singer (like her grandma) and loves listening to new music. If you can’t find her she is likely found on the floor with the kids or holding the nearest baby she can find. She LOVES anything Marvel. If we had to choose, she would probably be our Captain Marvel! She also happens to be my best friend DeeDee and Jason’s oldest daughter and I am lucky enough to be her Aunt Kyle.

I was there the day Addyson came into the world. She was so bright eyed and already holding her head up. It was like she couldn’t wait to take everything in. I have watched her grow up. She has always been a daddy’s girl, I remember visiting them and Addyson just walked all over the house looking for and yelling for her dad to come out from where he was hiding (he was away at work). We still act it out now 12 years later.

About two months ago Addyson was at school and things weren’t feeling right and her blood a pressure shot through the roof. She went to get checked out and we found out she has Coarctation of the Aorta with Aortic Arch Hypoplasia, which the internet tells us is when… “[t]he aorta—or the main conduit of blood from the heart to the rest of the body— has a blockage in a certain location.”

This is a big deal. Her body isn’t getting the blood flow or oxygenation it needs to function normally. Untreated or undetected it can result in heart damage, kidney failure or other organ failure. There are a lot of other scary potential outcomes that keep us up at night.

Knowing this, suddenly so many things started making sense, she wasn’t able to run much, she couldn’t keep up on family hikes or bike rides. She got winded so quickly and has been so tired. We chalked it up to disinterest on her part or just part of growing up.

As soon as we found out a treatment plan was put into place. The hope was a less invasive procedure to treat the narrowing of the aorta with a stent, in and out, no problem and back to school and life. We went to a Houston last week to have this procedure done at the Texas Children’s Hospital—#1 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery.

Unfortunately, after the MRI to get a clearer picture, we got some bad news. Because of the severity of her case she will require open heart surgery. It isn’t ideal, but we are so blessed to have this option. With it comes some a new set of challenges and opportunities. The recovery will be long and, as with any surgery, there are risks. DeeDee and Jason need to be there with their precious girl.

This go fund me is to help cover the hotel stay, food, gas, and anything else that might come up as they are away from their home in Houston during the recovery. This is the last thing DeeDee or Jason would ever ask for.

We know that Heavenly Father is in control, that Addyson has been in His loving arms her entire life. We know that she will get through this, taking away a portion of the stress a mother and father can feel during this hard time would be a generous gift—and if you can, we ask that you give. If you aren’t able to donate at this time, share this campaign so that we can reach as many people as possible. please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, need more information, or have other ideas of how we can help the Paul family.

We love you, Addyson!