Big Heart For Little Nico
Donazione protetta
Meet the Dawson Family...
...Wonderful, beautiful, generous, fun-loving, amazing individuals. As a family of 4, they weren’t yet complete. Something was missing. They would soon find out they were welcoming another little addition. April and Landon would be blessed with a son. Juliana and Sienna would be blessed with a little brother. Their lives were about to be fulfilled in a way they could have never thought was possible.
At 16 weeks pregnant, April and Landon received a confirmed diagnosis of down syndrome. With this diagnosis comes the potential for many health problems, and they were faced with several issues throughout the pregnancy. As one problem would resolve another would surface, a constant test of their faith and strength. They leaned on each other, on family and friends, and kept pushing forward. They decided to name their baby boy, Nico, because it means Victorious, and they could feel that this little guy was a fighter. At 33 weeks they were told Nico had a coarctation of the aorta and might need to have heart surgery in the weeks following his birth. It was suggested they deliver at a hospital with a level IV NICU, as a stay in the NICU would be necessary for monitoring. The NICU team was present at delivery and after an evaluation it was determined he would not need to spend time in the NICU or need heart surgery. He passed every test with flying colors and exceeded all their expectations. The family was overjoyed, as they were able to bring their sweet little boy home to grow and develop alongside his two beautiful sisters.
In the days and weeks following his birth, the roller coaster continued. Nico would pass the required tests and all seemed to be going well, but then the news came that he would, in fact, need to have open heart surgery. The small hole in his heart was bigger than they thought, and the shape of it indicated it would not close on its own. As worried as they were, April and Landon did whatever they could to get their precious baby boy strong enough for surgery. They worked day and night to monitor his feedings to make sure he was gaining the required weight, but ultimately, Nico would come to need a feeding tube to help with the process. This time in his life came with another hospital stay, multiple doctor visits and a frightening call to 911 because he was struggling to breathe.
The day (March 24th) has come for Nico to have his open heart surgery where the doctors and nurses will work to close his VSD, PFO and fix a possible mitral valve cleft. Sounds scary, doesn’t it? What this sweet little boy has been through in his short few months on this earth is more than most people go through in a life time. And how about his amazing parents? April and Landon are juggling so many responsibilities; full time jobs, raising two other little angels, maintaining a home, making sure Nico gets to all his doctor’s appointments, and dealing with this roller coaster of emotions. They are dealing with so much, and they never complain or feel sorry for themselves. They just keep pushing forward. They are focused on the life they have with their two beautiful little girls and their precious baby boy.
As their family, we can see the tremendous amount of stress they are under. We want them to be able to focus solely on Nico, but there is a significant financial burden they are carrying with all of these medical bills. We know they would never ask for help so we are asking for them. We have seen the outpouring of love and support for this sweet little boy and thought maybe you would like to help contribute financially. Any amount at all would help and be sincerely appreciated. We know there are angels among us and want more than anything for this little angel to make his mark on our world.
We thank you for all of your prayers, love and support.
- The Family and Friends of the Dawson's
...Wonderful, beautiful, generous, fun-loving, amazing individuals. As a family of 4, they weren’t yet complete. Something was missing. They would soon find out they were welcoming another little addition. April and Landon would be blessed with a son. Juliana and Sienna would be blessed with a little brother. Their lives were about to be fulfilled in a way they could have never thought was possible.
At 16 weeks pregnant, April and Landon received a confirmed diagnosis of down syndrome. With this diagnosis comes the potential for many health problems, and they were faced with several issues throughout the pregnancy. As one problem would resolve another would surface, a constant test of their faith and strength. They leaned on each other, on family and friends, and kept pushing forward. They decided to name their baby boy, Nico, because it means Victorious, and they could feel that this little guy was a fighter. At 33 weeks they were told Nico had a coarctation of the aorta and might need to have heart surgery in the weeks following his birth. It was suggested they deliver at a hospital with a level IV NICU, as a stay in the NICU would be necessary for monitoring. The NICU team was present at delivery and after an evaluation it was determined he would not need to spend time in the NICU or need heart surgery. He passed every test with flying colors and exceeded all their expectations. The family was overjoyed, as they were able to bring their sweet little boy home to grow and develop alongside his two beautiful sisters.
In the days and weeks following his birth, the roller coaster continued. Nico would pass the required tests and all seemed to be going well, but then the news came that he would, in fact, need to have open heart surgery. The small hole in his heart was bigger than they thought, and the shape of it indicated it would not close on its own. As worried as they were, April and Landon did whatever they could to get their precious baby boy strong enough for surgery. They worked day and night to monitor his feedings to make sure he was gaining the required weight, but ultimately, Nico would come to need a feeding tube to help with the process. This time in his life came with another hospital stay, multiple doctor visits and a frightening call to 911 because he was struggling to breathe.
The day (March 24th) has come for Nico to have his open heart surgery where the doctors and nurses will work to close his VSD, PFO and fix a possible mitral valve cleft. Sounds scary, doesn’t it? What this sweet little boy has been through in his short few months on this earth is more than most people go through in a life time. And how about his amazing parents? April and Landon are juggling so many responsibilities; full time jobs, raising two other little angels, maintaining a home, making sure Nico gets to all his doctor’s appointments, and dealing with this roller coaster of emotions. They are dealing with so much, and they never complain or feel sorry for themselves. They just keep pushing forward. They are focused on the life they have with their two beautiful little girls and their precious baby boy.
As their family, we can see the tremendous amount of stress they are under. We want them to be able to focus solely on Nico, but there is a significant financial burden they are carrying with all of these medical bills. We know they would never ask for help so we are asking for them. We have seen the outpouring of love and support for this sweet little boy and thought maybe you would like to help contribute financially. Any amount at all would help and be sincerely appreciated. We know there are angels among us and want more than anything for this little angel to make his mark on our world.
We thank you for all of your prayers, love and support.
- The Family and Friends of the Dawson's
Organizzatore e beneficiario
Christina Demsko
Organizzatore
Rumbels, PA
Landon Dawson
Beneficiario
