Help Eloise's Family Through This Medical Crisis

Hello! My name is Leslie Hillier. I, along with Bev Cranford & Allison Mott, created this gofundme for our granddaughter/niece,

ELOISE SCOTT NORRIS

& her parents.

Eloise is a 17 month old who was diagnosed at a few months old with TTN gene mutation. This has affected her heart & caused a condition known as Dilated Cardiomyopathy. This means that lower portion of her heart is very weak, dilated, & unable to properly pump blood to her body. She has recently contracted RSV, a virus which affects the lungs. This virus is serious & dangerous for a healthy child. For a child like Eloise, it can be fatal. She was in pediatric ICU @ OSF in Peoria but was flown to The Children's Hospital in St. Louis on 12/23/2024. They have been managing her condition for almost a year now. Eloise is currently intubated & on a ventilator. She went into cardiac arrest, an episode of SVT, & is now on ECMO. ECMO essentially means that her blood is being removed from her body by a machine, the carbon dioxide removed, her blood is reoxygenated, & then pumped back into her body. As her dad put it, she is "living with her heart outside of her body." She is one very sick little girl!

We have known for months that eventually, Eloise is going to need a heart transplant. The hope has been that could be prolonged as long as possible through use of medication. Several have asked why wait & she doesn't just have the transplant as soon as possible. Heart transplants are typically "good" for 20 years. That would possibly mean multiple transplants for her life if done now.

Many have asked what they could do to help, so this fundraiser has been created. Its purpose is to help take some of the worry off of her parents regarding financial obligations. It has been very difficult for them to go to their jobs when they have such a critically ill child. They are very hardworking & very conscientious of working & saving their time off & money. Over the course of the last year, they have depleted their paid time off & the majority of their savings, to be with their critically ill child when hospitalized, making monthly trips to St. Louis, etc. This weighs heavily on them when their focus should solely be on their ill child.

It is very humbling for them to allow Bev, Allison, & myself to start this fundraiser. They are self sufficient adults, pay their own way, & NEVER ask for anything. But we all know that eventually, the paid time off & savings deplete when missing work. Thank God for FMLA so they don't lose those jobs!

If you can find it in your budget to donate, it would be appreciated beyond words. We know many are financially strapped, especially this time of year. So it is totally understandable if you are unable. But if you could please share this fundraiser, that would be greatly appreciated as well. Also, please keep Eloise, her parents Bryan & Kaleigh, & her 3 year old sister Phamie in your thoughts & prayers.

Thank you! Happy Holidays & God Bless!