Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Our friends already know it, but we felt it would be best to give those who don’t, some history about our family. Heather and I have been married 21 years and together 26. We struggled for years to get pregnant, and just after Heather changed jobs in 2010 we found out our little miracle Garrett was on the way. Heather had lost her health insurance when switching jobs and we had not been able to secure her insurance. Miracles sometimes happen when you least expect them.
Garrett’s original due date was May 2011. In a routine checkup on March 15th 2011 Heather was diagnosed with preeclampsia and rushed to Community North where in just a few short hours we met our 2lb-15oz miracle. He struggled with his breathing, and other complications, and at one point the doctors told us they did not know what would be next. He fought for his life in the NICU for 103 long days.
Shortly after being released from the hospital, Garrett was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. He cannot walk or do most things on his own. He is bound to his wheelchair, and only takes steps if assisted while in his therapy sessions. Garrett has already had a major hip surgery and ankle surgery and there will be more surgeries to come in his future. He is the happiest little boy you will ever meet, and I promise if you meet him once he will forever hold a place in your heart.
Fast forward to August 2017. Heather was not feeling well and called me at work, I told her to get to the ER, so she drove herself. We learned that she was having a heart attack. She was transferred to St Vincent Heart hospital in Indianapolis, and 10 days later she had a quadruple bypass surgery. She recovered well and was doing great. Five months later she was not feeling well again. She went back to her heart Dr. who sent her in for a hearth cath. We learned that all 4 bypasses had sealed off completely like they had never been done. We faced another significant cardiac intervention. This time, the doctor decided to stent the original blockages and treat her aggressively with medication. We have been left with a mountain of medical bills from these surgeries that will likely never be paid off in our lifetime, although we work diligently with the hospital to pay what we can. I did not see how we could afford to add Heather to my health plan at work given the expenses we have each month to care for our special needs son and Obamacare was even more expensive. We have looked hard at our finances and are enrolling Heather 1/1/2020. We simply have to make it work.
A few weeks ago, Heather started having problems with her vision. After seeing a retinal surgeon, we learned we are facing an eye surgery for Heather to repair a macular hole in her right eye. Without the surgery, she will lose her sight. This surgery cannot be performed without us raising 15,000 dollars to prepay for the surgery. We have already raised some funds so we are looking to raise $10.000 quickly to get the eye surgery done ASAP.
Heather is Garrett’s primary care giver and gets him to and from school and to all 3 of his therapy sessions each week plus the countless doctor appointments, etc., while trying to work part time in the school cafeteria. I help where I can when I am home while working full time and trying to take minimal time off. I have a wonderful employer that is very flexible and allows me to work from home when needed. And I am beyond thankful for that.
Again, thank you all for taking the time to read our story. Heather and I have resisted asking for help. We have worked very hard to carry this weight alone. I have always believed that many others are much worse off and I did not want to burden others. We have our wonderful family, and that is my greatest blessing. But I am out of options, and I cannot allow my wife to lose her sight. My friends have been encouraging me for years to use crowdfunding to help us to see our way out of this burden, and I am leaning on their support. Any help you can provide to my family will be received with gratitude. Any funds beyond what we may be able to raise, beyond the cost of the immediate eye surgery required to save Heather’s sight, will be applied to the existing medical debt that we owe for Heather’s prior health conditions.
Garrett’s original due date was May 2011. In a routine checkup on March 15th 2011 Heather was diagnosed with preeclampsia and rushed to Community North where in just a few short hours we met our 2lb-15oz miracle. He struggled with his breathing, and other complications, and at one point the doctors told us they did not know what would be next. He fought for his life in the NICU for 103 long days.
Shortly after being released from the hospital, Garrett was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. He cannot walk or do most things on his own. He is bound to his wheelchair, and only takes steps if assisted while in his therapy sessions. Garrett has already had a major hip surgery and ankle surgery and there will be more surgeries to come in his future. He is the happiest little boy you will ever meet, and I promise if you meet him once he will forever hold a place in your heart.
Fast forward to August 2017. Heather was not feeling well and called me at work, I told her to get to the ER, so she drove herself. We learned that she was having a heart attack. She was transferred to St Vincent Heart hospital in Indianapolis, and 10 days later she had a quadruple bypass surgery. She recovered well and was doing great. Five months later she was not feeling well again. She went back to her heart Dr. who sent her in for a hearth cath. We learned that all 4 bypasses had sealed off completely like they had never been done. We faced another significant cardiac intervention. This time, the doctor decided to stent the original blockages and treat her aggressively with medication. We have been left with a mountain of medical bills from these surgeries that will likely never be paid off in our lifetime, although we work diligently with the hospital to pay what we can. I did not see how we could afford to add Heather to my health plan at work given the expenses we have each month to care for our special needs son and Obamacare was even more expensive. We have looked hard at our finances and are enrolling Heather 1/1/2020. We simply have to make it work.
A few weeks ago, Heather started having problems with her vision. After seeing a retinal surgeon, we learned we are facing an eye surgery for Heather to repair a macular hole in her right eye. Without the surgery, she will lose her sight. This surgery cannot be performed without us raising 15,000 dollars to prepay for the surgery. We have already raised some funds so we are looking to raise $10.000 quickly to get the eye surgery done ASAP.
Heather is Garrett’s primary care giver and gets him to and from school and to all 3 of his therapy sessions each week plus the countless doctor appointments, etc., while trying to work part time in the school cafeteria. I help where I can when I am home while working full time and trying to take minimal time off. I have a wonderful employer that is very flexible and allows me to work from home when needed. And I am beyond thankful for that.
Again, thank you all for taking the time to read our story. Heather and I have resisted asking for help. We have worked very hard to carry this weight alone. I have always believed that many others are much worse off and I did not want to burden others. We have our wonderful family, and that is my greatest blessing. But I am out of options, and I cannot allow my wife to lose her sight. My friends have been encouraging me for years to use crowdfunding to help us to see our way out of this burden, and I am leaning on their support. Any help you can provide to my family will be received with gratitude. Any funds beyond what we may be able to raise, beyond the cost of the immediate eye surgery required to save Heather’s sight, will be applied to the existing medical debt that we owe for Heather’s prior health conditions.