Garrett's Journey: Vision Restoration Hope

Hello all! I am Melissa, Garrett's mom. When G was 2, he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma with tumors in his spine. He was given a 10% chance of survival. Thanks to the amazing St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, he has been cancer-free since 2004. As you can imagine, all the chemo, radiation, high-dose chemo with stem cell transplant had major effects on his little body.

On April 11th, 2025, G woke up from his nap and told me he couldn't see. So, after a little bit of trying to figure out why he couldn't see, we loaded him up and took him to the ER. He had a CT scan while at the ER, and the ER doctor was 100% sure it was cataracts. That just didn't sit right with us because G has been to some of the best eye doctors in the state, and not one has ever said anything about cataracts. So, we loaded him up and took him to UW Madison. They immediately did an MRI, and he was diagnosed with having a stroke. A few tests later, we were told it was an ischemic stroke. Basically, because of the radiation he had at such a young age, it has caused plaque to build up along the occipital region of his head. That caused a blood clot and starved oxygen from his brain where his eyes work from. He has gotten a minimal amount of his sight back. He goes to PT and OT. OT is working to get his eyes working together with his brain. He has good days and bad days where he can and can't see. G was an avid painter before this happened and hasn't really wanted to paint since. We are hopeful that hyperbaric oxygen treatment will help his eyes and nerves heal.

Okay, so why are we raising money for G? We want to get him a hyperbaric unit for home. Insurance doesn't cover it, and neither does IRIS, all because it's "exploratory." G actually did several dives back in 2007ish, and he responded very, very well to them. We ran out of funding for those as well. Why not just go somewhere instead of getting one at home? We have to drive an hour and a half one way and spend the whole day there for 2 dives a day. Not that big of a deal; however, we want him to have lots and lots of dives. Basically, to do them for the rest of his life. So, it just makes sense to get one at home. It would be a lot more cost-effective. No wear and tear on our vehicle, gas, spending the time in Madison all day, meals, etc. We are able to get some grants for the unit we are wanting to get, but it's still $10,000.00 after the grants.

Honestly, if you can't donate, we totally understand. We just ask that you please pray for G and share this. Thanks you all so much!