Jase’s Journey with CHD and Isomerism

Hello! We are Caragen and Jacob, the proud parents of our strong and sweet boy, Jase Allen. Jase was diagnosed prenatally with a complex congenital heart defect including DORV, an AVSD and pulmonary atresia. The first 7 weeks of Jase’s life were spent in the CICU at Children’s UPMC (four hours away from our home) - where he underwent a procedure that bought him some time to go home for a few short months, grow and thrive in an environment outside of the hospital. During his first time in the hospital, Jase was diagnosed with right sided isomerism, bringing more complications into an already complicated situation. We came back to Children’s for his open heart surgery on February 21st, with an expected stay of 7-14 days in the CICU. Unfortunately, there have been many complications, events and new diagnoses, and we have all now been in the hospital for over two months with no expected return home date and more surgeries and procedures in Jase’s future. We have been fortunate to have a place to stay in the Ronald McDonald house attached to the hospital, however are still paying for everything at our home as homeowners with dogs and a great friend watching over them and our home for us. We have experienced an unexpected and unsettling job loss, putting Jase’s medical insurance coverage, our own coverage, and our financial stability at risk. We have not been able to work while being here in the hospital, and now with the job loss it has resulted in great financial distress on top of all of the emotional and physical distress of watching our sweet baby undergo surgery, procedures and different necessary tests and treatments. We are fundraising to cover costs of living here in Pittsburgh and our costs of living at our home while not being able to be there or to work. Unfortunately, we are unable to see what the future holds for our family and are trying to make sure that Jase has the most stable and healthy future as possible. We thank everyone in advance for their love, support and donations.