On Tuesday, May 8, Gage, underwent a medical procedure at Cleveland Clinic and is recovering well. I want to thank everyone for their kind words, prayers and support.

I especially want to thank the Pirates. The organization has been instrumental in not only discovering this medical issue, but also in ensuring Gage has received the very best care.

A heartfelt thank you to Kevin Angland and David Follet for organizing and managing this page for their friend. 

Thanks to the generosity of so many people, we have exceeded what we believe will be the out-of-pocket expenses and are closing the donations on the GoFundMe campaign. As his mother, we appreciate your support and respect for Gage’s privacy as he recovers. Much love to our family, friends and baseball family. 

Sincerely,
Shelley 


***** New information regarding Gage's medical expenses and out of pocket expenses. The expenses will be substantially lower than expected. This is terrific news!!! 


March 28th Gage met with a cardiologist, which he does each year during baseball spring training as a precaution due to a minor heart murmur. Following that appointment, Gage was involved in an auto accident that sent him to the E.R for a head CT. Thankfully the head CT was normal. That same day Gage was informed that 
something had changed on his echocardiogram.  A transesophageal echocardiogram was ordered where Drs discovered that Gage's aortic valve is failing. It is bicuspid and stenotic. Gage has met with and talked to numerous cardiothoracic surgeons around the country. Many tests have been performed. Last week Gage had an appointment with a cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Lars Svennson and his team at Cleveland Clinic.  To save Gage's life and provide him with a better quality of life, Dr. Svennson will perform open heart surgery. A partial sternotomy aortic valve replacement, using a new type of resilient tissue that is now available. It is made of RESILIA tissue, a bovine heart tissue that has been preserved with a special Edward's technology to reduce calcium build-up on the valve tissue, potentially allowing the valve to last longer than traditional tissue valves.

During surgery, an incision will be made in the middle of his chest through the breastbone. The incision generally heals quite well with the bone requiring approximately 6 weeks to fully heal. Gage's heart will be kept still enough for the surgeon to operate. A heart-lung machine will pump blood through his body while the surgeon removes the failed valve and replaces it. Once the diseased valve is replaced the incision will be closed and Gage will be moved to ICU for continued care. 

The goal is for Gage to make a full recovery and return to the baseball field!
 
Updates will be posted regarding Gage's condition and progress as it comes in. Thank you so much for support and prayers.