Dear friends and family,

My heart is heavy but hopeful as I share our story of my sweet girl Ava, born September 28, 2024. We had Ava in our arms less than 48 hours after being born, She was rushed to Huntington Hospital pediatric surgery in Pasadena and was admitted into the NICU. We were told the news that she has an imperforate anus, a birth defect that occurs when the anus is misplaced and opens outside of the sphincter muscle complex. The perineum is the area between the anal sphincter and the labia where Ava was passing stool from. Luckily other malformations have been ruled out so far that are associated with this defect (spinal, heart, renal, oesophageal, limb and genital anomalies) The one thing they did see during a body scan, was a bone growth on her arm. We are scheduled to go to Shriners Hospital in Pasadena this month to get an MRI scan and see how to move forward with this.

We were all optimistic her first surgery would be successful. We are grateful for all the doctors and nurses took great care of Ava. With perineal fistula, it’s treated with surgery called anorectoplasty or pull-through surgery. This surgery repairs the malformation and brings the rectum to the outside through the anal sphincter. Luckily for Ava, her muscles are working and everything is there. Unfortunately, her stitches came apart near the perineal area. The doctor wanted to try a less invasive procedure without a colostomy first. Ava was then re-admitted for a second surgery, for re-exploration of the previous repair and had a colostomy procedure done to allow the previous surgery time to heal before going into surgery again sometime in January to do a repair and create an anus and start dilations at home every day so her anus doesn’t close. If everything goes well, by March she can have another procedure to do a colostomy reversal. The colostomy bag where her stool goes through gets changed every 4 days, and we hope and do our best to clean the area to avoid any skin irritations or infections around the stoma.

This situation has been incredibly stressful and challenging to see our baby girl going through so much at a young age. She’s a tough and sweet girl. She’s taking it better than we are. We hope to raise her with confidence and lots of love supporting her journey ahead.

We are incredibly lucky to have the support of family close around us. We are so grateful for the love we have received thus far, whether it be financial, stopping by with words of support and love. Still, many of you have asked how you can help, and this GoFundMe is our way of providing a means for your generous support. We know there are many unknown outcomes and expenses ahead. Insurance has been incredibly difficult, rejecting every other procedure. Your contributions will go directly towards:

• Medical treatments and upcoming surgeries for Ava

• Any additional expenses not covered by insurance

Every donation, no matter the amount will make a significant difference in Ava’s life. We are deeply grateful for your kindness, prayers, and support during this challenging time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With love and gratitude,

The Salem Family