Liam's Pectus Surgery
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Liam’s story:
We knew something may have been wrong when Liam was around age 7. As he lost the baby fat and started to grow taller, he seemed to have an abnormal appearance of his chest wall. Liam was clinically diagnosed with pectus excavatum around age 10 and was referred to a pediatric surgeon at age 12 when surgery was discussed and physical therapy began. He has been in physical therapy ever since to help strengthen his muscles and cardiac output in preparation for surgery. Surgery is usually done after their initial major growth spurt and while the chest wall is still pliable. Liam is now 14, soon to be 15 and will start high school in the Fall. He plans to join the Air Force ROTC program and wants to run cross country and join the Fencing club. His career goal is to go to the Air Force Academy and become a pilot in the Air Force with hopes of being an astronaut one day. He is active in Boy Scouts and will soon begin his Eagle Scout project. Aetna initially declined his surgery a couple months ago because they viewed it as cosmetic. They required Liam to have a cardiopulmonary stress test and a chest CT scan to qualify for surgery. Both tests came back with a diagnosis of severe pectus excavatum. Liam’s Haller index (the ratio of the horizontal distance of the inside of the ribcage and the shortest distance between the vertebrae and sternum) was 3.9 (normal is 2.5 and severe is anything above 3.25). The CT scan also indicated Liam’s heart has already been displaced due to sternum compression. The cardiopulmonary stress test was also abnormal, indicating his heart is not pumping out 100% of total blood volume but only 60%. Liam’s surgery is now scheduled for July 9, 2018, only a few weeks away. We are reaching out to friends and family in hopes that you all will also reach out to your friends and extended families to help us with the extreme financial burden we are facing. It is difficult enough knowing that he must undergo the surgery. We are trying to not also worry about the financial aspect of it all. We thank you for any help you can give us financially and in spreading the word about Liam’s upcoming surgery. We will keep you posted on his recovery and progress. We also want to thank you for all your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
Julie, Bill, Liam, and Jonah
(Click on updates to see pictures and learn more about Pectus Excavatum)
We knew something may have been wrong when Liam was around age 7. As he lost the baby fat and started to grow taller, he seemed to have an abnormal appearance of his chest wall. Liam was clinically diagnosed with pectus excavatum around age 10 and was referred to a pediatric surgeon at age 12 when surgery was discussed and physical therapy began. He has been in physical therapy ever since to help strengthen his muscles and cardiac output in preparation for surgery. Surgery is usually done after their initial major growth spurt and while the chest wall is still pliable. Liam is now 14, soon to be 15 and will start high school in the Fall. He plans to join the Air Force ROTC program and wants to run cross country and join the Fencing club. His career goal is to go to the Air Force Academy and become a pilot in the Air Force with hopes of being an astronaut one day. He is active in Boy Scouts and will soon begin his Eagle Scout project. Aetna initially declined his surgery a couple months ago because they viewed it as cosmetic. They required Liam to have a cardiopulmonary stress test and a chest CT scan to qualify for surgery. Both tests came back with a diagnosis of severe pectus excavatum. Liam’s Haller index (the ratio of the horizontal distance of the inside of the ribcage and the shortest distance between the vertebrae and sternum) was 3.9 (normal is 2.5 and severe is anything above 3.25). The CT scan also indicated Liam’s heart has already been displaced due to sternum compression. The cardiopulmonary stress test was also abnormal, indicating his heart is not pumping out 100% of total blood volume but only 60%. Liam’s surgery is now scheduled for July 9, 2018, only a few weeks away. We are reaching out to friends and family in hopes that you all will also reach out to your friends and extended families to help us with the extreme financial burden we are facing. It is difficult enough knowing that he must undergo the surgery. We are trying to not also worry about the financial aspect of it all. We thank you for any help you can give us financially and in spreading the word about Liam’s upcoming surgery. We will keep you posted on his recovery and progress. We also want to thank you for all your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
Julie, Bill, Liam, and Jonah
(Click on updates to see pictures and learn more about Pectus Excavatum)
Organizer
Bill McHaffie
Organizer
Greer, SC
