Sawyer's Heart Ablation Procedure

Sawyer was diagnosed in early childhood with a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. This condition involves an accessory pathway in the electrical conductivity in his heart. It causes him pain and stress that effects his daily life from school, sports, and even when resting at home. Any time that he becomes ill with a fever, his heart rate will increase to nearly 200 beats per minute while laying at rest! As you can imagine, it feels like his heart is beating out of his chest. There is nothing worse than your child telling you that his heart hurts and there is nothing you can do about it. Sawyer hasn't been involved with many team sports and we haven't pushed him because of the concern that he may experience an extreme tachycardic event. However, he is passionate about soccer and he recently started his second year on a team and is signed up for an international summer soccer camp! Sawyer has finally grown enough to receive treatment for his heart condition and is scheduled for heart surgery in March 2024. This surgery involves sedation, respiratory therapy, and an invasive procedure of multiple catheters through the femoral veins to his heart where they will seek the accessory pathway and perform an ablation. This surgery has the entire family nervous and excited at the same time. This is a very stressful process and we haven't really considered what the financial impact will be like for our family. We are not the type that usually ask for help, but if there is any way that you are able to assist, we will be extremely grateful. Sawyer is a little scared of the procedure, but he is hopeful and excited about treating his heart condition and focusing on what is to come! Thank you for reading his story.