A Mother and Son in Desperate Need

Hi my name is Darlene Shantz and I’m trying to raise funds for my friend Anita D’Hondt and her son Brett Forester. These funds are for their living expenses, for Brett’s unconventional medical bills, palliative care including nursing care and his burial. This has been a long road and it has taken a toll on the both of them for Brett’s entire life of 21 years (almost 22!). He was born with severe congenital heart disease Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia and many more heart abnormalities- pulmonary artery was not attached with no pulmonary valve which was very rare as 10 years prior to his birth all children born like this passed away and he had a very high chance of dying on the night of February 8, 2003 when he was born which was to be a happy occasion but turned out to be a mother’s worst nightmare come true. He required open heart surgery at 3.5 months old to repair his heart and he came through this with flying colours. At 3 years of age he was diagnosed with asthma and had to be put on inhalers indefinitely due to pneumonias and recurrent respiratory infections every 1-2 months lasting 2-4 weeks each for his entire childhood. He was diagnosed with ADHD at 6 years old and Autism at 12 years old along with learning disabilities especially poor executive functioning which caused significant setbacks in school so he was unable to graduate from high school. At 10 years of age, the prosthetic pulmonary valve and conduit in his heart needed to be replaced during open heart surgery as it had worn out and he came through this very well. Brett got Infective Endocarditis which attacked the prosthetic pulmonary valve and conduit in his heart and then he had to have a 3rd open heart surgery to replace the prosthetic pulmonary valve and conduit when he was 17 years old. He came through this like a champ too. He acquired Covid in January 2023 which was very detrimental to his health and caused him to deteriorate in the 2 years to come after. But on June 11/24 Brett had all 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed but got a mouth infection which moved to his heart giving him Infective Endocarditis again for the second time but the IV antibiotics healed the area this time not requiring open heart surgery. But the antibiotics caused terrible ongoing digestive problems with pain so eating at times can be difficult etc. He is only 100lbs so he’s extremely thin. He had toe surgery as well while on the antibiotics. He had to be hospitalized for 10 days at the end of June/ early July and then again at the end of August for 6 days. During the last admission he needed to have a bronchoscopy which revealed that he has Classic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in his chest which is definitely his area of weakness. The cancer is very large and pressing on his poor heart. Brett is definitely a true fighter as he was able to have a general anesthetic and undergo major dental surgery, get through a mouth and heart infection plus toe surgery while fighting cancer. He is not able to have chemotherapy/ radiation due to the terrible side effects especially to his already compromised heart and he has increased sensitivity to all medications since having had Covid. Brett has always been a homebody and loves playing video games with friends and on his own. He also loves making up stories as he has always had a very imaginative mind and acts them out on games with friends. Brett always had a hard time finding a true friend but did find one across the ocean which has been an enormous help through his many battles especially depression and PTSD. Brett has bettered himself over the last several years and is the kindest most loving person in this world who loves to help others despite his struggles. He can articulate his words that show his truly amazing caring self even though he is autistic. He would have been a wonderful Social Worker to others if he would have been given a life of health. His mother Anita has been through so very much with him over the years which has caused her to have her own health problems for over 10 years now and she has been deteriorating too. She has not been able to work for the past 5 years but was working as a Registered Nurse and just loved caring for people in need and she was very good at it. Anita has went through all her savings and she is living with her parents and her son. She has lost almost everything including her job, her health, her house, her car, her husband as the blended family wasn’t working due to many issues with the children. And now she is losing her only child and she always said that she couldn’t live without her son. She has always been a very generous person in her life always giving to others. She has been a great mother to her only son Brett. This is so devastating to her that she is having a very difficult time coping with the deterioration of her son. She would never ask anyone for help but would always offer it to others and would be there to help no questions asked. Please please find it in your heart to give to a mother and son in desperate need of finances for all their much needed expenses which will take a huge load off of Anita as she needs to be able to concentrate her full attention on her son Brett during this difficult time which will allow her to provide the care that he truly needs and deserves. Please also continue to pray for the both of them as well. I truly want to thank each and every one of you in advance for your generosity!! God bless all of you!