Rally for Dominic's Healing Journey

Hi! My name is Karen Casey. I'm trying to raise funds for my daughter, Kassandra Casey, while her son is in St Francis OSF Children's Hospital PICU in Peoria, Illinois. He had emergency brain surgery on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. He had to have this surgery, because his shunt was failing. His shunt is now externalized and draining his cerebrospinal fluid into a bag. All the tubing, shunt, and hardware has been sent to be tested for infection before they can replace the shunt to the other side of his brain. He'll be in the hospital for at least 7-14 days, if not longer. His mother is at the hospital with him and can't work right now.

If you don't know Dominic's back story. Dominic was born at 24 1/2 weeks gestation. He was in NICU for 4 1/2 months. They, the doctors, wanted Kassandra to put him on comfort care and let him expire. She said "no". They said he was gonna be blind, death, and a vegetable. But Kassandra at only 18 years old, refused. She had to grow up fast and hard. She gave up a chance for a full ride scholarship to college in band. She has been fighting for Dominic since day one. At 3, they told her that Dominic would never walk, and just to fit him for a wheelchair. Again, she said no. They fit him for a walker and he walked, then cp crutches, then nothing. Now in July of this year, he will have surgery to straighten his legs. Dominic is 16, and is learning to drive. He's a freshman at Neoga Senior High School. Dominic has exceeded every expectation that the doctors said he wouldn't. He faces each day with a smile on his face. Thank you for donating!!