Emerson's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Emerson Huxtable is as bright and funny a 2-year-old as you can hope to meet. Her smile and her laugh light up whole houses. And she has parents (Sarah Porter and James Huxtable) and an extended family that adore her.
Unfortunately, Emerson has also had to face some terrible medical challenges. She was born suffering from “Mercedes Benz pattern” craniosynostosis, in which three separate sutures of the skull are fused together in utero, along with a Type I Chiari malformation.
Emerson’s first surgery, as a 4-month-old in June 2013, was a cranial vault reconstruction, which involved removing her skull from her eyebrows to the back of neck. Then the bone was cut into small pieces to allow room for her brain to grow.
In October 2014, Emerson had her tonsils and adenoids removed in an attempt to relieve her severe obstructive sleep apnea.
This month, Emerson had a ventricular shunt implanted to help remove extra fluid which had built up in her brain. The excess pressure from the fluid had been causing a variety of symptoms that threatened to worsen with time -- including sleep apnea, headaches, being slow to walk, saying few words (no sentences), the loss of words, pain in her neck, trouble eating and swallowing among others.
Emerson still faces a potential surgery to decompress her Chiari malformation. A CM forms when the bottom of the skull is too tight and compresses the cerebellum down into the spinal cord. A decompression surgery removes the C1 and C2 vertebrae from her spine and opens up her skull to allow the cerebellum to be sucked back up into the brain.
Emerson’s mom, Sarah, had to quit her job because the extensive travel kept her from being able to help care for Emerson. Emerson’s dad, James, has been working two jobs to hold down the fort financially, but medical bills have understandably been piling up. The physical therapist who works with Emerson has been floating her services for three months.
We, Emerson’s friends and extended family, are hoping to raise $25,000 to help relieve the pressure of their medical costs. Because Sarah needs to stay home with Emerson, they’re having to pay a bundle out of pocket for COBRA benefits -- not to mention co-pays and physical therapy and the remaining balance on the last two surgeries -- and we want them to be able to focus on that smile, and that laugh, and making sure that a very special little girl gets a chance to be as healthy as she is happy.
Thank you so much for whatever you can do to help.
Unfortunately, Emerson has also had to face some terrible medical challenges. She was born suffering from “Mercedes Benz pattern” craniosynostosis, in which three separate sutures of the skull are fused together in utero, along with a Type I Chiari malformation.
Emerson’s first surgery, as a 4-month-old in June 2013, was a cranial vault reconstruction, which involved removing her skull from her eyebrows to the back of neck. Then the bone was cut into small pieces to allow room for her brain to grow.
In October 2014, Emerson had her tonsils and adenoids removed in an attempt to relieve her severe obstructive sleep apnea.
This month, Emerson had a ventricular shunt implanted to help remove extra fluid which had built up in her brain. The excess pressure from the fluid had been causing a variety of symptoms that threatened to worsen with time -- including sleep apnea, headaches, being slow to walk, saying few words (no sentences), the loss of words, pain in her neck, trouble eating and swallowing among others.
Emerson still faces a potential surgery to decompress her Chiari malformation. A CM forms when the bottom of the skull is too tight and compresses the cerebellum down into the spinal cord. A decompression surgery removes the C1 and C2 vertebrae from her spine and opens up her skull to allow the cerebellum to be sucked back up into the brain.
Emerson’s mom, Sarah, had to quit her job because the extensive travel kept her from being able to help care for Emerson. Emerson’s dad, James, has been working two jobs to hold down the fort financially, but medical bills have understandably been piling up. The physical therapist who works with Emerson has been floating her services for three months.
We, Emerson’s friends and extended family, are hoping to raise $25,000 to help relieve the pressure of their medical costs. Because Sarah needs to stay home with Emerson, they’re having to pay a bundle out of pocket for COBRA benefits -- not to mention co-pays and physical therapy and the remaining balance on the last two surgeries -- and we want them to be able to focus on that smile, and that laugh, and making sure that a very special little girl gets a chance to be as healthy as she is happy.
Thank you so much for whatever you can do to help.
Organizer
Leslie Stephens
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
