Cassie and her husband Nico Silvas welcomed their precious baby, Nick into the world on June 16, 2022. Little Nick, a bundle of joy at 4 pounds 10 ounces, faced a unique challenge with a Limbal Dermoid on his eye. The family’s journey has unfolded rapidly, meeting with four eye doctors with various specialties within his first three weeks of life.

At two months old, Nick had already undergone two significant eye surgeries. One to address the dermoid and another to open up his iris for better light reception. Local specialists adopted a cautious “wait and see” approach, prompting the Silvas to search for a specialist. They were referred to Dr. Nischal, a renowned pediatric cornea specialist who is very familiar with Limbal Dermoids. Unfortunately, Dr. Nischal is in Pittsburgh.

The Silvas family recently traveled to Pittsburgh. To their surprise, Dr. Nischal uncovered a missed diagnosis of glaucoma. He emphasized the urgency for a cornea transplant. The family, now navigating this unexpected twist, also learned from Dr. Nischal that Nick has already lost some crusial developmental time for his vision. The doctor stressed the urgency of acting swiftly to maximize Nick’s chances for eye and brain development.

With a whirlwind of emotions, the Silvas family is gearing up for some crucial treatments for baby Nick as soon as possible. They will be traveling to Philadelphia in mid-December for preliminary surgery and returning in January for the cornea transplant. They face an extended stay to ensure close monitoring of any potential cornea rejection.

This unforeseen journey has turned the Silvas family’s world upside down. But they remain hopeful, dedicated and resilient. They are determined to do whatever it takes for baby Nick to have a bright future.

In addition to both parents working full time and missing work, the family will incur a lot of expenses as they journey to get as much sight as possible for their baby boy. Luckily they do have health insurance, but there remains a huge number of expenses. Any funds raised through this Go Fund Me will go toward flights and travel costs, co-pays, glasses, out of network costs and hotel if the Ronald McDonald house doesn’t have available rooms.

We are hoping all the goodness in the world can be showered on Baby Nick and his parents Cassie and Nico. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this challenge, and if you are able to, contribute to this Go Fund Me to help with the financial burden. Literally every little bit will help and is appreciated more than you know.

We will keep everyone updated on baby Nick is getting along through this journey ahead. Your love and kindness is felt and appreciated as we embrace this young family with love and support.