Hailey's Heart Journey

Hailey’s first year of life has been a string of tests, surgeries, hospitals, breathing machines, prescriptions, IVs, life flights, ER trips and ambulance rides. And yet, with a child’s resilient spirit, she smiles and remains joyful and happy.

 

For the last year her parents have spent many long nights and nerve racking days traveling to Boise, Salt Lake City, Palo Alto, and back home to Idaho Falls to find life saving care for their baby girl. 

 

Hailey’s mother Angie often has to travel alone—leaving her other daughters with relatives and her husband home to support their family and Hailey’s care. Angie stays in hotels or sometimes in the Ronald McDonald house when there’s room.

 

The Hodge family is so grateful to have health insurance and other temporary subsidies to aid in paying medical bills. However, all travel and living expenses, among other things, are out of pocket.

 

Their trips often take days—sometimes longer. One visit to California lasted 3 and a half months. That time, Angie was on a tight budget and alone 864 miles away from home and family over Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day.
Eleven medical trips have taken a heavy financial toll, and Hailey has future care scheduled in Utah and California. Not once has her self-reliant family asked for help. However, their friends love them and want to ease their burdens. To date, Hailey’s family has spent $7,000 – $8,000 with a long road ahead.

 

Hailey has a congenital heart defect called Pulmonary Atresia with Ventricular Septal Defect. In layman’s terms, this means the valve that takes oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs is absent or blocked, so there is no way for the blood to receive oxygen. The ventricular septal defect is a hole in the heart between the right and left ventricles. Here’s a link to the Boston Children’s Hospital page about Pulmonary Atresia.

 

Hailey’s mother Angie says, “This has been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least. There are times when we are very hopeful that things will work out and there are times when we just feel overwhelmed and discouraged. We are hoping for the very best. You do what you can and let Heavenly Father do the rest according to His wisdom. That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult. This has been the hardest challenge I have faced in my life. It has been soul stretching and heart wrenching and will probably continue that way for some time. But, despite that, we know Heavenly Father loves our little girl and us and knows what is best for all of us.”

 

Please contribute to help the Hodge family. Together, we can give Hailey a fighting chance.