Gibson's Fight for Sight - Treatment in Thailand

My nephew, Gibson, was born with multiple birth defects, all within his brain. He was diagnosed with Septo Optic Dysplasia (SOD), Bilateral Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH), Agenesis of the Corpus Collosum, Hypothyroidism, Hypotonia, Ectopic Neurohypophysis, midline fusion anomaly of the hypothalamus, neonatal subclinical seizures, and grey matter heterotopia. What this diagnosis basically means, is his brain didn’t form in utero the way it was supposed to. Due to ONH, he has visual impairments with an unknown future of what his vision will be. ONH is one of the leading causes of blindness in children, but unfortunately, there just aren’t any options in the U.S. You are told it’s a “wait and see” diagnosis. Well, my sister is definitely not a “wait and see” person.

 

There is only one procedure in the world for Optic Nerve Hypoplasia that has shown to have any improvement, which is a type of stem cell therapy performed in Thailand. Just last week, Gibson was approved for the procedure, which is such a huge blessing! My sister and Gibson will be flying to Thailand in the beginning of June of this year. With this opportunity, there is a substantial cost for the treatment and travel. I asked her if we could do a GoFundme account for her, and she was hesitant because of all the help they have received throughout Gibsons’ long stay in the NICU just over a year ago. Luckily, I won’t take “no” for an answer, so here I am putting this out for anyone that wants to help them out on this journey.

 

Please help if you can, but most importantly, let’s pray that my sister and nephew have a safe trip, and Gibson has the best possible care and outcome

 

Here is an excerpt I took from her most recent post….

 

“When they tell me there’s nothing they can do, I refuse to listen. God put another ONH mom in my life, connecting us by our precious miracle boys. When we met face-to-face, she shared with me his upcoming journey, which would include going to Thailand for a stem cell procedure that has shown to help other children with their condition, impacting the functionality of the optic nerve, resulting in improved vision. I had read about this procedure, but fear of taking Gibson out of the country made me apprehensive. I kept getting that God-nudge, so I decided to submit for medical review. I didn’t hear back. My friend gave me the direct contact of the liaison she has been working with. He responded to my email, and asked qualifying questions. This led to the next step in Gibsons’ review. There were multiple requests and communication back and forth from the medical board for different tests. We had every test and procedure they needed, already performed, from MRIs, to EEG’s, bloodwork, thyroid, growth hormone, etc. PTL! Well….

 

Ｇｉｂｓｏｎ  ｗａｓ  ＡＰＰＲＯＶＥＤ  ｆｏｒ  ｔｒｅａｔｍｅｎｔ ！！

 

Details to come, but tentatively, Gibson and Mommy will be leaving for Thailand on June 1st!

Do we know if it will work? No. Is there a good chance it will help with any, or all of his multiple conditions? Yes, there is definitely a very good chance! Some of the parent and patient stories are absolutely incredible! No matter what, I know I’ve done everything I possibly can to at least try with the one option we have. It wasn’t an accident that God put another Texas ONH mom friend in our lives! Speaking of, please join me in prayer for our friend, Jett, and his family, as they begin their journey to Thailand for treatment in a little over one week! Praying for safe travels, and for God to give the medical team all the wisdom to bring Jett a positive and successful outcome!”