Meet Lillie, a beautiful 12-year-old from San Antonio, TX, but currently living in Colorado for 4 yrs now. She loves learning about crystals, reading mystery books, baking, and making jewelry. Lillie also loves animals. She has a dog named Bentley and a bunny named Oliver, or as she calls him, Ollie. Whenever she is asked at PETSMART if she wants to donate, she never hesitates, and now Lillie and her family need your help.

On July 12, 2022 Lillie was rushed to the emergency room in Greely, Colorado after becoming severly weak at home while she was quarantined with COVID. She was immediately transporated via a Medevac helicopter to the Children's Hospital of Colorado in Aurora because Lillie was not absorbing the fluid she had developed aroud her heart, which was also inflamed.

Lillie was placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), which is a form of life support that is used for life-threatening heart and /or lung problems. Worldwide, only about 3000 kids have needed ECMO related to covid. Recovery will be long for Lillie and the medical team believes she will be on ECMO for at least a couple of weeks. When she comes out of it, Lillie will have a couple of months of hospitatilization for recovery.

Since then Lillie has had numerous medical complications and thus far has had a total of 5 major surgergies, including a pericardiocentesis, and fasciotomies on the right leg. Not to mention a few trips to the OR for wound vac complications related to anticoagulation.

Lillie had to have a plasmapheresis as well. This is a plasma exchange done in a procedure in which a machine is used to separate the plasma (the liquid part of the blood) from the blood cells. After the plasma is separated from the blood cells, the blood cells are mixed with donated plasma and then returned to the body. Plasma exchange is often done to remove extra antibodies, abnormal proteins, or other harmful substances from the blood.

Although Lillie has been pretty heavily sedated so she can tolerate all the procedures being done and so her body can rest, Doctors are pleased with Lillie's small daily heart progression and how she has tolerated the numerous procedures thus far.

Lillie continues to fight daily, however she is not out of the woods yet in terms of potential complications.

We've created this GoFundMe to support Lillie and her parents Danny and Katrina Valdez with medical costs and frequent travel expenses to Aurora, Colorado from their hometown in Greely, Colorado.

Lillie's hospitalization has been a shock to Lillie's parents, as well as all of us who love them and Lillie. Their family has been through so much these last couple of weeks, but Lillie is a tough kid and we know she will fight this with all she's got.

Any support, big or small, can make a difference for Lillie and her family and is appreciated more than words can say! Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and love for Lilliana (Lillie) Valdez.