Donate to Ivy's Critical Medical Procedure

On October 6th, 2021, my beautiful granddaughter, Ivy, was born at 0900, and since then...

She has undergone 3 open heart surgeries, 1 abdominal surgery, 1 spine surgery, and more imaging and testing than anyone should have to! When Ivy was about 18 months old, her parents (my daughter Abby and son-in-law Zach), learned that she was living with one lung due to severe pulmonary stenosis in her left pulmonary vein and that she wasn't gaining enough weight. These things were going to prevent her from being a candidate for the Fontan Procedure. The Fontan is the last of three surgeries that most babies with single ventricle hearts, like Ivy, need.

Abby and Zach learned that without this surgery, Ivy's life would look different. That she would eventually (not if but when) become very, very ill, more so than she already is. The doctors told them that some babies live for 20 years, some live for 2, there was no exact length of time for when Ivy would become this sick. They talked about just keeping her happy and comfortable for as long as possible, then MAYBE she would qualify for a heart/lung transplant, but that those odds were very slim, because most children don't survive that surgery.

In mid-June, Ivy's Cardiologist, Dr. Chu, and Dr. Rios, the doctor who performs all of Ivy's Cath Lab procedures, from Children's Hospital here in Minnesota, met with the Pulmonary Stenosis team from Children's Hospital in Texas. As soon as that meeting ended, Dr. Chu called Abby. He informed her that the Texas team saw an opening they think they might be able to get into her left pulmonary vein through! I remember, Abby called Zach and then immediately called me. We have hope again and we are going to keep fighting!

With this information, in September, Ivy along with her mama Abby, her papa Zach, and her baby brother Desmond, will be traveling down to Texas for another Cath Lab procedure!

During this Cath Lab, they will look for that opening. IF they find it AND are able to enter it, they will perform a procedure to open it and allow blood flow back to her left lung. IF this is successful, they will then remove all of the collateral veins that Ivy's body has grown in an attempt to restore blood flow. Then about 6 months after, she would need another Cath Lab to make sure that this was still open and to test the lung pressures for a potential Fontan Procedure. Dr. Chu is hopeful that if they are successful that Ivy would be able to have the follow-up Cath done here, at Children's in Minnesota, but there is a chance that she would need to travel back to Texas Children's for that too. IF they are NOT successful, then they would want Ivy to return to them in Texas, 6 months to a year later, to try again.

The cost of traveling down there, their stay while there, and to fix their vehicle so that it is safe to drive that far, is high. I want nothing more than to help them myself, but unfortunately that isn't possible.

So, I am asking for anyone willing and able, to help my daughter's family get Ivy the medical procedure that COULD change her future, if successful, potentially saving her! Please! Every penny counts!!