Help Baby David's Heart Surgery Journey
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Hello,
Baby David is no longer with us here on earth. Baby David was called home. Instead of helping Baby David with his heart surgery journey, this fundraiser has transitioned to "Help with the incurred Medical Bills of Baby David A. Gingerich" Thank you for visiting this Fundraiser page for Baby David and thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read about Baby David's medically difficult situation and the challenge his family has encountered since Baby David's May 22, 2024, passing.
Baby David A. Gingerich is the son of Allen Gingerich and Lizzie Ann (Yoder) Gingerich who reside in the Amish Community of St. Charles MN.
Baby David passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. For the 23 days of his life here on earth, Baby David was in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN – rated the #1 heart hospital in the world. A special thank you to the expert doctors, nurses, and essential medical staff for the expert medical attention and care David received. Also, a-shout out of “thank you” to the security professionals at the front door of the Mary Brigh Building on the St. Mary Campus of the Mayo Clinic – thank you for your security efforts and for the assistance shown to David’s family and the friends of David’s family.
Initially, this GoFundme Fundraiser for Baby David started with anticipation regarding assisting Baby David with his medical bills as he progressed through heart repair surgery. With Baby David passing on May 22, 2024, and after Baby David was laid to rest, a decision was made to press forward with this GoFundMe Fundraiser to 1. “bring attention to” and “get the message out” regarding Baby David’s valiant 23 days living here on earth 2. personalize the unique difficulty, circumstances, and anguish that Baby David’s family has been enveloped in and endured with the loss of Baby David and the loss of two of Baby David’s little cousins – all in a 9 month time span 3. attempt to get financial support for Baby David’s family considering the significant medical bills that Baby David incurred during his helicopter ride to the Mayo Clinic and then spending 23 days in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochster, MN.
Baby David was born on April 29, 2024, and later the same day, needed an immediate helicopter ride from Lacrosse, WI, to the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
David required open heart surgery for a rare congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries With Intact Ventricular Septum. The condition was present at birth. David's two main heart arteries - aorta and pulmonary arteries - are reversed, this is medically called transposed. In general, the surgery has an extremely high success rate, approximately 98% success rate in general.
Soon after birth Baby David contracted pneumonia. David was put on an ECMO machine to pump oxygen directly into the heart. After a few days, Baby David had to the chest cavity opened to address blood/fluid around the heart. After a few days the opening was closed. Baby David was making positive movement towards being strong enough and in a situation to have open heart surgery to un-reverse is aorta artery and pulmonary artery. Then, nearing/around 2 weeks, Baby David had some seizures that doctors addressed. In the 3rd week after birth, Baby David had a blood clot, however; David’s expert medical team was able to address the blood clot. Late afternoon or early evening May 21, 2024, one of David’s doctors met with David’s parents and provided a positive leaning prognosis for David. On May 22, 2024, an additional blood clot was in-play that escaped initial detection. A CAT scan also known as a CT Scan was performed. Unfortunately, the blood clot had made its way to Baby David's brain and terminally affected the brain. Doctors in conjunction with anguished agreement from Baby David's parents removed Baby David from the ECMO machine supplying oxygen to Baby David's heart. An understanding is that Baby David passed 3 - 3.5 hours later. From the day that Baby David was born, April 29, Baby David was in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Baby David is the newborn cousin of Wilma (7) and Irma (11) Miller who lost their lives last Fall 2023 while riding with two other siblings in a horse-drawn buggy on County Road 1 north of Spring Valley, MN, near Sumner Center church. Baby David's mother Lizzie Ann (Yoder) Gingerich is the sister of Sara (Yoder) Gingerich who is mother of Wilma (7 - deceased), Irma (11 - deceased), Alan (9/10), and Rose (13/14). Sara's 4 children were in the buggy accident last fall -- Fall 2023 where Wilma and Irma passed away. Baby David is the cousin of Wilma (7 - deceased), Irma (11 - deceased), Alan (9/10), and Rose (13/14).
----> Menno Miller is Sara (Yoder) Miller's husband from rural Stewartville, MN
----> Allen Gingerich is Lizzieann (Yoder) Gingerich's husband from rural St. Charles, MN
A first request is for prayer for the Yoder family - David's maternal Yoder grandparents, in particular, the Menno and Sara Miller family - County Road 1 north of Spring Valley - rural Stewartville who lost their two girls and had a son and daughter hurt in the Fall 2023 accident, and the Gingerich family (David's dad: Allen, David's mother: Lizzie Ann, David's paternal Gingerich grandparents), Daivd’s 2 Great Grandfathers and 3 Great Grandmothers. David’s 2 brothers and 3 sisters. Age 8, 7, 5, 3, 2. David’s Grandfather, Minister Daniel Gingerich presided over David’s funeral service on May 24, 2024.
Also, please pray for the babies with heart conditions who are currently, at this time, fighting for their life on the 5th Floor of the Mary Brigh Building on the St. Mary’s Campus at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Please pray for the babies' doctors, nurses, and medical staff who have dedicated their careers to use God given talent to help babies and children needing immediate medical assistance and care.
A second request for individuals who read this GoFundMe Fundraiser page, would you please take 5 minutes out of your busy schedule to spread this GoFundMe Fundraiser information to friends and family and request that they too, then spread this GoFundMe Fundraiser information to their family and friends. A hope is that the message of Baby David and his family’s circumstances can be spread far and wide because confidence exists that if Baby David’s situation and family circumstances are known that there may likely be a subset of people who may possibly have interest in contributing some small amount -- $5 or $10 (perhaps instances of more) to assist with Baby David’s incurred medical bills.
For those individuals who have already graciously donated to assist with Baby David medical bills – THANK YOU – Thank you so very, very much for your kindness in a time that is so extremely difficult for David's family!
Regarding funds donated, Altra Credit Union in Rochester, MN, will be used to hold donated funds received from Baby David's GoFundMe Fundraiser.
Periodic Updates have been placed/will continue to be placed in the latter part of this Baby David fundraiser page
Please scroll down to the header -----Updates-----.
Reference information has been placed towards the bottom of this Baby David fundraiser page.
Please scroll down to the header -----References----.
Regards,
Boyd Gerber
rural Stewartville, MN
Friend of the Allen and Lizzieann (Yoder) Gingerich Family from rural St. Charles, MN
Organizer of Baby David Fundraiser
Huge fan of the toughness that Baby David exhibited – what a spectacular little guy!
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----- Updates -----
May 17, 2024
A little background follows from the last couple of weeks that Baby David has been in the neonatal cardiac intensive care unit at the Mayo Clinic.
David's two main heart arteries are reversed, and the issue is that blood that has been oxygenated does not get to the part of the heart that pushes the blood to the body. Right after birth, David got pneumonia, and this causes the lungs to labor and not get normal oxygen flow to the blood. To help David out, David was hooked up to an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). This machine allows his lungs to rest and heal from the pneumonia and facilitates him getting stronger so that the neonatal heart surgeon can switch his two main arteries from reversed (transposed) to "hooked up right". Fortunately, this specific heart procedure has an extremely high success rate -- generally speaking about 98%.
Ever so often the ECMO machine has something that needs to be changed out and replaced with new - I don't have all the technical specifics at this time. When this "change out" took place, David did ok without the ECMO for about an hour, but then a very non-positive change took place requiring David to be "hooked back up" to the ECMO. After being "hooked back up", David started getting bleeding around the heart. The situation eventually got to where the surgeon had to open David's chest up to clear up the bleeding around the heart. For a few days David did not have his chest closed up. After a few days, the surgeon closed David's chest. David progressed in a positive manner, up until towards the beginning of this week, May 13th - May 17th. David started to seizure. Keep in mind that the issue is getting adequate blood to the body and brain when the heart is not pupping correctly to the body due to the two arteries being reversed. The Mayo neonatal cardiac team went to work, and with expert adjustments had David moving in a positive progression by the next day. So, as of May 16th, David is progressing towards getting strong enough to have the open-heart surgery to un-reverse the two main arteries to his heart. Many, many thanks to the neonatal nurses and neonatal doctors/surgeons who's work, and efforts are allowing David to progress to a point of being able to undergo the open-heart surgery that will get his blood "naturally" oxygenated. Daivd has had a very challenging journey to-date, however, David is continuing to progress forward positively.
Regards, Boyd Gerber
May 19, 2024
Sunday, May 19, the sedative was relaxed for a period of time and David opened his eyes and decided to look over towards his dad (Allen Gingerich). The seizure medication had to be re-engaged, but the doctors got this all under control. Keep in mind that currently until the operation can take place, with the two main arteries reversed, the heart just recycles blood back to the lungs and not to the body. To provide a temporary assist, David was hooked up to the ECMO machine that provides oxygen directly to the heart. Later in the day, David was sedated again and was resting calmly. David has all the electronics and machines hooked up, but he has been constant to progressing and just needs some time to get to the point that the ECMO can be disengaged so that he can have heart surgery to switch (unreverse) the aorta (main) artery and pulmonary artery back to the way they are supposed to be in a normal configuration.
May 23, 2024, 12:05 AM
Towards the end of the week last week, before Saturday, May 18th, there was a scare with a blood clot. Doctors and medical staff were able to address this specific blood clot and get Baby David progressing positively forward towards being able to have surgery to un-reverse his aorta artery and pulmonary artery. Side note: Baby David had an ECMO machine supply oxygen to his heart because 1. with two main arteries reversed, blood oxygenated by the lungs does not circulate out into the body, and 2. Baby David had contracted pneumonia soon after birth. Tuesday afternoon or evening, May 21, 2024, Allen and Lizzieann met with David's doctor and received very positive news about how David was progressing.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 4:19 PM CDT, I (Boyd) received a phone call from Allen's brother-in-law from St. Mary's Campus at the Mayo Clinic. I was told that there was some bad news. I was told that Baby David passed away. I was asked to come up to the St. Mary's Hospital Campus and give family a ride home.
Unfortunately, there was a 2nd blood clot that was in-play. An understanding is that this 2nd blood clot escaped initial detection. A CAT scan also known as a CT Scan was performed. Unfortunately, the blood clot had made its way to Baby David's brain and terminally affected the brain. Doctors in conjunction with anguished agreement from Baby David's parents removed Baby David from the ECMO machine supplying oxygen to Baby David's heart. An understanding is that Baby David passed 3 - 3.5 hours later.
This whole situation is breathtaking and gut-wrenching. Baby David was progressing towards being able to get his heart fixed.
I (Boyd) will write additional information during one of the upcoming days. Thank you to those people who prayed for Baby David, David's parents, and both pairs of David's grandparents.
Thank you to those who gave a donation to help with David's medical bills.
Regards,
Boyd Gerber
May 23, 2024
----> Wake - Funeral Preparation
Thursday, May 23, 2024, I (Boyd) received a call earlier in the day from the St. Charles Amish Community from a friend of Baby David's grandfather asking if I'd help out getting around to get some stuff for the wake/funeral. Went to Dollar General in St. Charles and Lewiston, Miller's Market in St. Charles, Kwik Trip in St. Charles and in Lewiston and Shettlers Store (Amish groceries and home goods) in Utica. Needed were 950 plates, sandwich meat, a raid of bread at Kwik Trip took place, glasses, etc. Late afternoon, early evening I did get to provide my respect by going to see Baby David lying-in-state in his bassinet. In my multiple visits to St. Mary's, I did get to see him in his room, and he was quite the little guy -- a really cute distinctly hansom little guy. I only saw him sleeping and not when he was awake (when sedative dosage was lessoned where he could see mom and dad). His dad, Allen, said that his eyes (David's) would find his dad.
May 24, 2024
----> Funeral
Baby David's grandfather, Amish Minister Bishop Daniel Gingerich presided over David's funeral. Baby David was laid to rest next to his 16-year-old uncle (David's mother's brother - Yoder) who passed away at age 16 in a farm accident. Baby David was laid to rest in the Amish cemetery adjacent to Baby David's parent's farm.
May 31, 2024
----> A little about Baby David's dad, mom, and siblings
-- Allen is a builder specializing in pole barns, sheds, houses and roof repair/shingle replacement. Allen has a crew of highly specialized Amish carpenters who work along-side Allen with building projects.
-- Baby David's dad, Allen, worked from one of the semi-private family lounge areas of Mary Brigh 5 for the whole 23 days Baby David was in the hospital.
-- Allen and his wife Lizzie Ann spent all 23 days of Baby David's life (mornings, afternoons, and evenings until 9:00 PM) on Mary Brigh 5 to be with David, talk to David and to be there for David when doctors had sedation lessened and David's eyes were open.
-- Baby David has 5 brothers and sisters: brother (8), sister (7), brother (5), sister (3), and sister (2).
June 10, 2024
----> FYI about Insurance and an Amish Community
In general, the Amish do not purchase health insurance like in "English" society. So an Amish family or the Amish Community does not go to like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, or Medica, or Health Partners and buy a group policy. Instead, each Amish family pays at periodic intervals an amount to the local Amish church where pooled funds go to pay medical bills for members of the local Amish Community. Also, the local Amish church reserves a second fund for use if another Amish Community has devastating losses requiring financial help. This “medical bill sharing” is similar in fashion to resembling what in non-Amish society is called "insurance sharing". Of course, the ability to have significant funds to pay shared medical bills is a function of the number of members contributing. Where an issue is going to potentially come into play is when there is a medical bill that is some extremely large amount -- like in this case over 1.4 million dollars. Potentially, a local Amish Community is not going to have thousands of contributing members such as the insurance sharing offering promoted by Dave Ramsey that is mentioned is one of the examples of insurance sharing organizations in "English"/ non-Amish society.
Just as a reference,
-- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota has more than 2.5 million members (Source: Bing AI)
-- considering all healthcare sharing ministries an approximate estimate is 1.7 members (Source: Bing AI)
Examples of Insurance Sharing Organizations in "English"/ non-Amish society follows:
A. Christian Healthcare Ministries - promoted by Dave Ramsey
--------> https://chministries.org/
B. Samaritan Ministries
C. Medi-Share
D. OneShare Health
June 15, 2024
A very genuine thank you to each person who has spent time spreading the situation about Baby David and the circumstances that have engulfed Baby David's family regarding loss and significant financial burden.
A sincere thank you to each of you who have donated in some fashion to assist Baby David's family with medical bills. Thank you so very much.
June 17, 2024
A specific unique savings account was setup today for this fundraiser at the Altra Credit Union in Rochester, MN.
June 18, 2024
The specific unique savings account at Altra Credit Union has been associated with the Baby David A. Gingerich gofundme Fundraiser (this fundraiser). The beneficiary of Baby David's Fundraiser will be his father and mother (Allen and Lizzi Ann Gingerich). The purpose of this Baby David A. Gingerich gofundme Fundraister is to help David's parents with paying Baby David's extensive medical bills incurred from 23 days in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
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----- References -----
Transposition of the great arteries
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/transposition-of-the-great-arteries/symptoms-causes/syc-20350589
Transposition of the Great Arteries
https://ctsurgerypatients.org/pediatric-and-congenital-heart-disease/transposition-of-the-great-arteries
Surgery Video: Arterial Switch Operation for Transposition of the Great Arteries | Cincinnati Children's
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/extracorporeal-membrane-oxygenation
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----- Fall 2023 Accident-related Information -----
UPDATE: Two children dead, two others injured in Fillmore County buggy crash
(Peterson Twin Sisters)
Twin Sisters Charged in Fatal Amish Buggy Accident
Petersen twins file motion to dismiss fatal CR 1 crash charges; documents explained
Petersen twins both file motions to dismiss charges against them in fatal Amish buggy crash case
https://www.kttc.com/video/2024/05/18/petersen-twins-both-file-motions-dismiss-charges-against-them-fatal-amish-buggy-crash-case/
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BEGINNING OF
The content of the message that was present in this GoFundMe Fundraiser prior to Baby David’s passing follows:
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Baby David was born on April 29, 2024, and later the same day, needed an immediate helicopter ride from Lacrosse, WI, to the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
David's parents are Allen and Lizzieann (Yoder) Gingerich from the Amish Community in St. Charles, MN.
David had had a difficult start. David was born with a heart defect that required heart surgery as soon as possible after birth – typically within 2 weeks. he adequately recovers from pneumonia contracted after birth and complexity introduced by the pneumonia. David has been very ill but has been slowly progressing since birth on April 29, 2024.
David requires open heart surgery for a rare congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries With Intact Ventricular Septum. The condition was present at birth. David's two main heart arteries - aorta and pulmonary arteries - are reversed, this is medically called transposed.
The surgery has an extremely high success rate, approximately 98% success rate in general. Since April 29th, the day he was born, Baby David has been in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Please pray for David's recovery from pneumonia, the complexity introduced by the pneumonia, and for continued health progress to a point that will allow him to undergo surgery to fix his heart.
If you have interest in helping David out with surgery, medical, and emergency helicopter transport bills, your welcome to contribute. No amount is too small. Any monetary assistance is utmost appreciated.
A request is that you would please "help get the message out" about Baby David. There may be some folks who may wish to keep David in prayer. Also, perhaps, there may be a subset of folks who may possibly have interest in helping Baby David in a small way financially with surgery, medical, and emergency helicopter transport bills.
For those individuals who may wish to give to help Baby David A. Gingerich with medical bills, this GoFundme Fundraiser has been been setup to receive gift donations.
Baby David is the newborn cousin of Wilma (7) and Irma (11) Miller who lost their lives last Fall 2023 while riding with two other siblings in a horse-drawn buggy on County Road 1 north of Spring Valley, MN. The girls' mother and David's mother are sisters (Yoder). Please pray for the Yoder family - David's maternal grandparents, in particular, the Menno and Sara Miller family - rural Stewartville who lost their two girls and had a son and daughter hurt in the Fall 2023 accident, and the Gingerich family (David's dad: Allen, David's mother: Lizzie Ann, and David's paternal grandparents).
Updates regarding Baby David will be posted periodically.
Please scroll down to get to "Updates"
Also, an information "Reference" is posted at the end of this post. Please scroll towards the bottom of this post to get to "References".
Regarding funds donated, Altra Credit Union in Rochester, MN, will be used to hold donated funds received from Baby David's GoFundMe Fundraiser.
Regards,
Boyd Gerber
rural Stewartville, MN
Friend of the Allen and Lizzie Ann (Yoder) Gingerich Family from rural St. Charles, MN
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END OF
The content of the message that was present in this GoFundMe Fundraiser prior to Baby David’s passing
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Organizer
Boyd Gerber
Organizer
Stewartville, MN