Birch Gardner Medical Recovery Fund

On May 4th, Birch Gardner (13) had an emergent abdominal surgery at St Mary’s Hospital and was then was air-flighted to Childrens Hospital in Denver. On arrival to Childrens Hospital he was immediately taken to the operating room for another emergent surgery. It was discovered that he has a rare condition called congenital malrotation of his intestines. As a result, important parts of his gastrointestinal tract were removed due to lack of blood flow. He was in critical condition; he underwent multiple surgeries. Things were looking grim until Saturday. In true Birchie fashion, he has been rallying since. His vital signs have stabilized, his fifth and final surgery took place on Sunday, and on Monday he was extubated. He was in the ICU for a harrowing seven days. On Tuesday, May 10, he was finally transferred to a post-surgical floor in the hospital.

Although Birch has pulled through the most critical portion of his hospitalization, his road to recovery is long and arduous. For the extended future, he will be focused on gastrointestinal rehabilitation and his new nutrition frontier. Meanwhile, his parents, Erica and Jerome, will be required to take extensive leaves from work. They face travel expenses between Grand Junction and Denver and growing medical costs. Most importantly, they need to spend the next few months focusing on Birch’s recovery and rehabilitation.

Both Erica and Jerome have been tireless in their support for their son. Barely leaving his bedside and advocating for the best care possible, these two have been a beautiful example of fierce love. Their caring nature has been exemplified through their careers as public servants working for the health and improvement of their community.

We are raising money to give Erica and Jerome a few necessary months of professional reprieve as they focus primarily on helping Birch adapt to his new body. Donated funds will not only relieve them of work obligations during this transition, but also help to cover medical bills and travel expenses to and from Children’s Hospital as Birch recovers. Let’s support this brave guy as he takes charge of his future and support his family who have given so much to our community.