I have started this page in support of my friends, Nick and Cait Drinken
On January 5th, 2026, sweet baby Camdyn Drinken joined her parents, Nick and Cait, in the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital. Though the birth was a time of great celebration for the two, it also brought about worry as Camdyn needed to be moved to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit immediately. Back in November of 2025, Nick and Cait had found out that Camdyn was going to be born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Essentially, the left side of her heart was going to be severely underdeveloped, which would prevent the heart from pumping rich, oxygenated blood to the body. Camdyn would need her heart operated on just a few days after being born (the operation occurred seven days after birth). Additionally, two more open-heart surgeries will be required in the future (one at 4-6 months and another at 2-4 years).
As recent college graduates, this was, and is, a scary development for the two. Thankfully, the first surgery went well overall, but the recovery process is still long. While they are fortunate enough to have insurance help cover some of the costs, it still requires a large deductible before stepping in. This, combined with basic living expenses and additional home medical equipment needed in the future, has created a financially strenuous situation for my friends. Although they may be very hesitant to ever ask for financial help directly, I know that receiving help in covering a portion of this deductible will go a long way towards ensuring this young family starts on the right foot.
With that, I humbly ask you to join me in financially supporting Nick, Cait, and Camdyn during this difficult time. Each donation will go directly towards the deductible and ensure that Camdyn continues to receive the care she needs. Nick and Cait are directly linked to this page, so the money will go directly to them.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to their story. Any donation, no matter how small, will help make an impact. If you are unable to help financially, you can help them by providing a meal or a gift card through their meal train, and by praying for sweet baby Camdyn. If you want to learn more about Camdyn’s story, you can visit her CaringBridge site. Thank you so much in advance for joining me in supporting Nick and Cait.
Caring Bridge Link:
Meal Train Link
Organizer and beneficiary
Caitlyn Drinken
Beneficiary