Join Us in Healing Violet's Bright Future

Ashley Schaefer is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nichole Kellogg.

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Hello! My name is Ashley and I was granted permission from a dear friend to share her courageous daughter, Violet's, story. Violet is such a bright light in the lives of so many people. Together we can help raise her up and support her family.

Here is Violet's story:

Violet joined us in October of 2018, born with an unknown complication called Esophageal Atresia with a Tracheoesophageal Fistula (acronym: EA/TEF). Doctors aren't really sure the cause, and it's impossible to diagnose in utero, so we went into this condition very blind.

Violet's esophagus was surgically attached the day after she was born, and she recovered well, using an NG tube, and weaning off of it around 6 months of life. She has continued to thrive and is such a happy and lovely child.

Lately, here in 2024, we have noticed an increase in symptoms associated with swallowing and illness. She had a hospitalization in November of 2022 for Pneumonia, and another in April of 2024 where she was in ICU on a Bipap for 5 days. It was a really scary time. She is increasingly choking on food and having a deep cough. I felt that Seattle Children's wasn't doing enough to follow up on her care, so I called Boston Children's Hospital, who has a well established EA program and is the top in our country, for evaluation.

Mid August, 2024, Violet was seen at Boston Children's Hospital for evaluation and a triple scope. The doctors there found that she had a missed TEF, severe tracheomalacia, and some other complications of her original EA repair site. They also found a Laryngeal Cleft, causing aspiration.

The amazing news is that most of this can be fixed surgically, and the team at Boston is up for the job! They are very familiar with EA/TEF, and I feel so confident in their ability to help my sweet girl.

Violet is scheduled for surgery on Sept 3, 2024. Flying out from Seattle to Boston, finding lodging (all of the hospital resources are booked out, I tried everything including talking to the Social Worker there), booking a vehicle, etc. is really adding up. Budgets are really tight, and I would just be so grateful for any help towards my girl's medical trip.