Martin is 1 in a million born with a heart to match. SURGERY

Hello Everyone,

If you have ever gotten the chance to meet my son Martin, then you would know he has the ability to have a conversation with just about anyone he comes into contact with. He is an amazing brother, funny, stubborn, and hates being told to load the dishwasher, especially on the weekends. Martin has a true passion for people, loves sports, and also spends way too much time on his Xbox. I think his teachers would agree there is never a dull moment with him around. :) He is 1 in a million, and God gave him a heart to match. Unfortunately, Martin was recently diagnosed with a very rare congenital heart defect called a right aortic arch with a vascular ring. This condition affects less than 0.01% of the world's population and will need corrective surgery. So as his mom, I want to say thank you for any support you're willing to give him through this. I also wanted to update everyone on what is ahead for him in a few short weeks.

But first, I just wanted to fill you all in on the last 6 months....

In December of 2024, as some of you may know, our family lost nearly everything we owned due to black mold in our home and our landlord not wanting to acknowledge the problem. So we moved into a new home at the beginning of December. A couple of days before we moved, I had brought Martin to the doctor for a chest x-ray because he has always had difficulty breathing due to what we thought was asthma, and the mold definitely wasn't helping. So the night before we moved, I got a message from his doctor at midnight that turned our whole world upside down. I would like to share that message with you below.

My whole world was crumbling after reading that message. I honestly don't think I have ever been so scared and full of anxiety as I was that night. With that being said, I am so thankful for the wonderful people in our lives that started out as clients of mine and now are people I consider family. (❤️ Thank you so much, Stacy and Amy, for answering my phone calls that night and early morning to talk me through that.) So after moving into our new home, Martin had a ton of tests done to determine how severe his condition was and to determine the plan going forward.

After all the tests were completed, his doctor decided to refer us to Madison, Wisconsin, to have the corrective surgery done to release the pressure on his esophagus that his arteries are causing by being in the wrong place. His surgery is June 4th, 2025. Martin and I will drive to Wisconsin on June 2nd, and Martin will have to stay in the hospital for at least 1 week after surgery. Then we will hopefully be able to finish his recovery at home. Martin has been so brave through all of this. He has kept his spirits high and hopeful. His strength is admirable. But his main concern is if he is going to be able to play his last 8th grade year with his football teams, the South Dakota Miners and Memorial Middle School Mustangs. The doctor said he should be able to as long as he lets his body recover and is consistent with therapy. The other amazing thing about this surgery is when he is all healed, Martin will be able to breathe normally, something he has never felt before. ❤️ We can't wait to see him play again.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for any form of support you are able to offer to Martin while he is on this journey. It honestly means more than you know. Any donations will be used for travel and time off from my salon. Being a mom of 3 and self-employed makes things a little more challenging to financially take so much time off from work, but this last year has taught my kids and me to be thankful for the simple things that we definitely took for granted before. And to focus on what really matters, family and loved ones being at the top of that list. But also, I have learned to put my pride aside and to just reach out for help when needed because we are not meant to go through things alone. With my kids, it takes a village. ❤️

I will keep updating everyone here as we move forward.

Thank you

*Rachael Gorsuch*