Help Serena Charneskey Heal and Keep Her Home

Dance with the stars and spread your wings, baby boy! Rest in paradise, Finnley.

On January 24th, my sister Serena said goodbye to her firstborn son Finnley. He passed away at his home and was 6 years old. As you can only imagine, Serena is facing an overwhelming journey, to say the least. Since Serena’s employment is caring for Finnley, not only has she lost her precious baby, she has lost her job. Her life has been extremely difficult for the past 6 years and she needs support during this tragic time. I am starting a fundraiser to help my sister keep her home, car, and food on the table for her family while she searches for a job.

Finnley’s Story

On October 6, 2016, Serena gave birth to her son, Finnley Ryan Charneskey-Perkins at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO. Within the first few hours of his life, Finnley was airlifted to Presbyterian Saint Luke in Denver, Colorado where he was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. My sister didn’t get to recover from giving birth before having to hop in a car to make a 3-hour trip to Denver to meet up with her newborn. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a very serious defect where the left side of the heart is extremely underdeveloped. The diagnosis was devastating. My sister and Finnley’s father decided to pursue reconstructive heart surgeries to save Finnley’s life.

Finnley had open heart surgery when he was 4 days old and again when he was four months old. During the second surgery, Finnley’s glucose level was too low and he went unconscious for 30 minutes. He was resuscitated by the medical team, however, his brain was severely injured. Finnley was left with cerebral palsy and cortical blindness on top of his life-threatening heart condition. My sister took Finnley home devastated by the fact that he died on the operating table and was brought back to life without vision or muscle control. With all the injury that Finnley incurred, Serena decided to discontinue treatment. He couldn’t see, wouldn’t ever be able to walk, and ended up being tube fed because he couldn’t swallow.

Serena’s priority was to take care of her son at home for the rest of his life. She became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and found a program that allowed her to make a living taking care of Finnley. Finnley turned 6 years old on October 6, 2022. His doctors were amazed by how strong he was and have never seen a case as severe as his where the person lived more than a few years. We all knew Finnley would pass away someday because his heart would not be able to support his body as he grew. Finnley has the most beautiful soul and was extremely brave.

The Need

Now that Finnley has passed away my sister has lost her income. She needs money to pay her bills for a few months to allow her some time to grieve and find a job. I want to raise $10,000.00 to allow her to pay her bills for 4 months and to put $2,000 away in savings.

How You Can Help

Please consider donating to allow Serena some time to breathe, gather herself up, and establish employment and daycare for her 8-month-old son Jasper. Please share this story with your contacts to help achieve our goal and help Serena and her family survive the next few months. Thank you so much for reading this story, for your compassion, and for donating any amount.

Sincerely, Cora Adkins