This is our brave little boy, Ronan. He will be 5 in November.

Back in July, Ronan had what should have been a routine surgery. He was nervous, but we assured him everything would be okay and the doctors were going to help him. He was put under anesthesia as a happy and healthy child, and when he opened his eyes, his entire world had been rocked. His throat was sore from being intubated, and he was bleeding, gasping for air, and in pain. As parents, we were horrified at the state our child was returned to us in, but we were assured this was normal post-surgery and sent home the same day.

Here are some photos of Ronan on the drive home.

We stayed awake with Ronan overnight, and his condition did not improve. He continued to bleed and was completely detached, unwilling to look at or speak to us. He didn't want to watch his favorite shows or play with his little brother. He was a shadow of himself.

His bleeding caused him to soak through a tissue every 15 minutes. We called the providers who had performed his surgery, and they once again assured us this was normal.

The next morning, we had finally had enough and brought Ronan to our local hospital. We are so grateful we chose to go when we did, because when we arrived, all the color had disappeared from his face and his head slumped over. He was totally unresponsive and was rushed into a bed for lifesaving measures to begin.

We snapped this photo of Ronan as we were entering the hospital that day.

Ronan was admitted and received transfusions. Since this incident, we have been referred to Nemours Children's Hospital, which we visit monthly despite it being 3 hours from where we live. Doctors are still trying to understand what caused Ronan to have such a close call. We are closer to answers than we were, but we have been told this will likely be a long process involving frequent testing and visits to Nemours.

Ronan has been a brave boy through all of this, but he still struggles with the physical and emotional side effects of what happened to him. He is always being poked with needles and dragged away from home.

These incidents have also taken a financial toll on our family. The cost of travel and living accommodations while Ronan is receiving care out of state, medical expenses, and child care for our younger son (siblings are often not allowed to stay in the hospital) has caused us to accrue substantial debt.

With Ronan's 5th birthday and Christmas coming up, we are devastated that we may not be able to afford much for our boys who have been through so much over the course of this ordeal. We have another appointment scheduled for December 6th, which will eat away at funds we had saved for Christmas.

That's where you come in. Any contribution, no matter how small, can make a difference to our family and especially to Ronan as he continues his medical journey. ❤️