Hi! This is my son Caden and I. Caden has what’s called Pectus excavatum. That is when the chest wall caves in. He has issues when he overexerts himself, he doesn’t feel like he can breathe. We went to Boise in February to see a specialist. He did an exam and had us go to the local hospital for a CAT scan. It showed that his right ventricular wall of his heart is indented by his deformity. This causes lack of blood flow to his heart and oxygen to his lungs. This can affect a lot of things. Caden has missed 15% of school days this year. Surgery has been recommended and he will be having that done June 20. The procedure is called the Nuss procedure. They will do a small incision on each outer side of his chest and insert a curved rod underneath the ribs. Once they have it through, they will flip it over where the curve part pushes his chest back out. If it’s not where they like it they will do two rods. This will stay in him for 2 to 3 years and then he can have it surgically removed. The benefits of surgery will let him be able to be more active as he will be able to breathe easier and when he gets sick he will be able to recover faster. He is also a band kid and it will greatly improve his lung capacity and ability to play his clarinet. His love for music is extremely important to him and not playing at 100% affects him emotionally. He also misses out on running and playing with his favorite niece because he gets to short of breath and just doesn’t have enough energy. My husband and I have a really hard time asking for help but a lot of my family and friends have convinced me that’s what this is for and to get over it! Lol. We will be off a total of probably 2 weeks between Cadens surgery and going back for his post op three weeks after surgery. He will need a recliner to sleep in while recovering, button up shirts since he will not be able to lift his arms, medical bills/supplies and whatever else may come up. We will also need funds for gas for the two trips, food and lodging. If you can help with anything we would be forever grateful. Even if it’s to share our GoFundMe. If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!