Hello Everyone,

First off I want to say thank you for taking your time to read my GoFundMe page and hopefully you can emphasize my son's situation, and consider contributing and sharing. My name is Emma, and I have a 14-year old daughter, a three-month-old son, and two sick senior dogs who all live with me in Brooklyn, NY.

During my 20-week echo cardio sonogram for my son, Giancarlo was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. Tetralogy of Fallot is a complex heart defect. If you have ToF, you are born with four different heart problems:

·       A hole in the wall between your heart’s main pumping chambers (ventricular septal defect or VSD)
·       A valve between your heart and lungs that is too narrow (pulmonary stenosis or PS)
·       A right heart chamber with walls that are too thick (right ventricular hypertrophy)
·       A major blood vessel (aorta) that is misplaced or moved (overriding aorta)

These problems cause the blood to enter and leave your heart to mix. Blood that is low in oxygen (“blue”) mixes with blood that is oxygen-rich (“red”). Babies born with ToF sometimes are called “blue babies” because the lack of oxygen can make them look blue (cyanotic).

Giancarlo is scheduled for his first open-heart surgery on October 26, 2021 -- which is approaching soon. This will also follow with a series of other surgeries in the future. As a mother of two, I am not ready to go through this and watch my baby suffer in pain and agony with lifelong medical complications. This also affects my daughter's state of mind as she constantly worries about her brother. But honestly, being a mother also means that you are never to be prepared enough for the unexpected, and the only thing is to do your best and hope for everything to work out. So in all honestly, I need help financially.

Since giving birth, I was already back to work just a little shy after two months while healing from a cesarean. And because I live alone and struggling with financial hardship, I would bring my son to work with me since there isn’t any daycare that can or will care for him properly, and where I can keep him nearby in a comfortable and safe environment in the office. With a shortage of income, it is impossible to pay rent, medical equipment that is not covered by insurance, gas to bring my children to doctor visits, dog food and supplies, and other miscellaneous expenses.

With the upcoming surgery, there is much to prepare at home to ensure Giancarlo will be able to heal in a clean, sanitized and comfortable space. As I have mentioned before, my two senior dogs are both blind and deaf, and one has cancer -- but they rely on each other every day. It's extremely heartbreaking and overwhelming that I'll need to let them both go for the sake of my son as well as watching how they are suffering every day. It is also difficult to maintain an odorless and clean apartment when they can no longer control their bladder or see the weewee pad. 

I am hoping to purchase proper medical equipment such as an infant heart and oxygen monitor, air purifier, open front onesies, medication, and other necessary items to help to reduce any possible complications for a smooth recovery. After surgery and bringing Giancarlo home, I would need to be focused on helping him to be comfortable, caring for his incision and pain control, feeding and nutrition, prevent infection, and any other activities that help him heal and grow healthily. 

Overall, this daunting feeling is scary while managing to remain strong for my children. I know that he will be well taken care of at the hospital when the time comes, but as a mother, it's impossible not to be worried. I wholeheartedly want to say thank you to anyone who will contribute any amount to Giancarlo's GoFundMe and share my post in the hope of relieving some financial burdens. 

*Contributions are also accepted on:     Venmo: Emma611   |   CashApp: EmmaNg611 
 
Thank you so so much!!! I will also post the next update.
~ Emma


❤️ ❤️ #TOF #TetralogyofFallot #chd #congenitalheartdefect #heartwarrior #1in100 #GiancarloStrong