Help with Jace's Medical Expenses

Cassie and Nate Dodson are both teachers in Alamance County and some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. 2021 was a year of great excitement for them as they welcomed a 3rd child, Jace, to their family in May, but it was also a year of many challenges as well. The second half of the year it just seemed sickness would not leave their house. Their oldest daughter had surgery to prevent hearing loss from so many ear infections and their middle child had surgery to get a 2nd set of tubes and his adenoids taken out all within the month of October. This would be hard enough for any one family, but add in a baby that is also sick when the older siblings are and it makes the situation even worse.

 

When Jace was an infant, Cassie noticed he had abnormal sounding breaths. When he became sick, this symptom worsened enough to cause them worry and led to finding answers. They finally got connected with an ENT and other doctors that would listen and found out in November that he has an artery that is pressing on his trachea causing lower air flow and abnormal breathing. This is called Innominate Artery Compression Syndrome and is categorized as a type of heart defect. If not repaired, Jace could have long lasting problems with breathing, sickness, and eating, thus he will ultimately be going through a life saving surgery soon! Jace was supposed to have surgery prior to Christmas, however he was sick at the time and it had to be postponed. In January, Jace also went through a sleep study due to more restless nights than they can count, where they discovered that he has moderate to severe sleep apnea. Thus, Jace now uses oxygen when he naps and at bedtime.

 

In the meantime of being set back from surgery, Cassie and Nate sought a second opinion and have found surgeons they feel comfortable with to perform Jace's surgery in Boston.  The surgery will involve detaching and moving the innominate artery lower on the aortic arch of the heart (as you can see below). Once the artery is moved, there are some other issues that may arise as well so doctors may fix it while in or keep a close eye on it in the future.  They will be relocating soon for that operation and will have to stay there in the PICU for an unknown amount of time as Jace recovers.

As you can imagine, the medical bills are piling up. Going through the stress of caring for a sick child while also trying to manage the financial burden is difficult. Any and all help to ease that stress would be greatly appreciated for the Dodson family. If praying is more feasible at this time those are appreciated as well. Thank you in advance for your consideration and support.