Dimitri HLHS

As many of you know our baby boy was born with an extremely rare defect called HLHS(Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome) a heart defect where the left side of the heart does not develop. Without intervention this defect is fatal. We are asking for help to cover medical costs not covered under insurance as well as to help to pay bills so we can stay with Dimitri during his surgeries. Unfortunately we are 3 hours away from home due to Portland being the closest place that can deal with this situation so travel expenses also take a toll on us.

Dimitri was born on April 2nd, he was born strong and healthy but because of his heart defect he had to undergo immediate medical intervention to keep the ductus of his heart open to keep him alive before he went into open heart surgery to reroute his heart so the right side could take over the job that his non existent left side can not do. He was only 2 days old at this time.  He spent 9 hours in the operating room and for the most part things went as good as they possibly could. His recovery has been a struggle at times though, he has had to fight off infections, heart tachycardi, collapsed lungs, and very low oxygen levels. After nearly 40 days in the hospital we were sent home where we still work around the clock to keep him in good health and prepare him for his next open heart surgery that he will undergo at 4 months old. These times are critical because in his situation most heart failures happen between the 1st and 2nd surgeries.  Right now we are just at the very beginning of his long journey.

We will try our best to keep everyone updated, and we greatly appreciate all love and support. It will be years before we are clear and allowed to live a normal life again. Dimtri's situation does not allow us take him out to public places or allow people to visit our home due to his heart being very weak, any illness can hospitalize him for months and even be fatal. We understand we can come off as rude for not allowing others to meet him but these are the doctors orders and it is important we follow them for Dimitris well being. Thank you for the understanding and we hope the future only brings about great news!

-Judy&Anthony