Fundraiser for Brayden Kriegel

Hi! My name is Erin Kitchel. I am coordinating a fundraiser for the Kriegel family to help cover Brayden's hospital expenses from the last month and the months ahead. Please donate to help this family!

Brayden was born with Cystic Fibrosis and recently had severe abdominal pain that landed him in the emergency room and has been in the hospital since February 13th.

I teach Kindergarten with Brayden's mom Kristi. Brayden's dad, Rick, older sister, Maddy and mom Kristi have always worked to help Brayden live the most normal life possible. Kristi has always been a CF warrior, researching the disease, fighting for treatment for Brayden and spending countless hours helping to administer Brayden's daily treatments. She sent me the information below to give a little history of Brayden's medical journey.

Brayden was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a progressive genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. CF also causes thick mucus to clog Brayden’s most vital organs, such as his digestive system. Brayden’s family found out he had Cystic Fibrosis the day after he was born, when he was airlifted from Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee to Seattle Children’s Hospital for an emergency surgery. As a day-old newborn, Brayden had a Meconium ileus, a bowel obstruction, that occurred when the meconium in his intestine was thicker and stickier than normal meconium, creating a blockage in a part of the small intestine called the ileum. This is when Brayden’s family first realized he was a “rock star.” Brayden’s surgeons said he may not make it through surgery and without the surgery he would die. If Brayden did survive, he would be at Children’s for at least 6 months and would only be able to receive nutrients through a gastronomy tube (g-tube). Not only did Brayden survive his first surgery, but he never used his g-tube and was released from the hospital after 18 days.

Brayden has been fortunate that during his 15 years managing CF, his lungs have remained crystal clear. This is attributed to his dedication of airway clearance therapies, since he was old enough to sit up in a highchair.

Unfortunately, Brayden’s GI tract has caused him the most problems over the years. Brayden has had several hospitalizations for bowel obstructions and several ER visits for abdominal pain. Brayden was always able to clear the obstructions without surgery.

The night of Sunday, February 13, Brayden started suffering from severe abdominal pains and vomiting. He was rushed to our local hospital to be immediately taken into emergency surgery for a bowel blockage. Brayden slowly started to recover from this surgery and was even discharged to come home on Friday, February 18. Brayden and his family’s relief and joy of returning home was short lived, when again that same day, he began to vomit and was again rushed to the emergency room. Brayden had formed an ileus, which is the temporary slowing of digestive tract mobility that can lead to a buildup and blockage in the digestive tract. Brayden was in constant pain after returning to the hospital. By Friday, February 25, he was airlifted to Seattle Children’s Hospital. Brayden had a team of specialists waiting for his arrival. It was determined at that time Brayden would need to have another bowel blockage surgery. His team of surgeons did what they could to try and help his intestines. His intestines were damaged and scarred from the surgery at a day old and his surgery from 2 weeks prior. The team was unable to complete his surgery in fear they would do more damage than good. Currently, Brayden is still at Children’s Hospital. He now has a g-tube placed back into his stomach to help remove stomach contents and receives nutrients through a PICC line. He will be unable to eat food orally for 4-6 weeks, until his surgical team determines if he will need to have another surgery to complete what was started on February 25th. Brayden has a long road ahead in his medical journey. Brayden is a fighter. He's always been able to overcome his health obstacles and prove he is a true “rock star.”

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support for the Kriegel family!