Support Baby Gabriel

Hi! My name is Maggie Manley, and I am a fellow teacher at VRHS with Liz. I decided to help create this GoFundMe to help support Liz and James during this time as precious baby Gabriel awaits his second heart surgery, called the Glenn procedure.

Gabriel Lucas was born on December 7 with a congenital heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. At just one day old, Gabriel was transferred to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston, where he underwent his first surgery on December 10, though his precious heart was only the size of a walnut. This surgery, called the Norwood procedure, is a type of open-heart surgery that allows the stronger right ventricle of his heart to pump blood to his tiny body.

After approximately one month in the Cardiac ICU unit, Gabriel was downgraded to the Cardiac ACU on January 13. However, progress has been mixed since then; keeping Gabriel's oxygen saturation at acceptable levels has been a challenge since his Norwood procedure, especially as he has switched to bottle-feeding rather than through a feeding tube. In addition, maintaining proper oxygenation of his gut has also been difficult, which has impacted his ability to digest breast milk. Based on this, the decision was made to put Gabriel on formula until his Glenn surgery.

As his oxygen levels continued to waver, Gabriel's doctors ordered an echocardiogram on February 12, revealing that his Sano shunt (which provides blood flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery) was narrowing, decreasing blood flow and therefore also decreasing his oxygen saturation. Liz, James, and Gabriel's care team at CHOA made the difficult decision to keep Gabriel hospitalized until his Glenn procedure, scheduled for April 6.

These challenges would be daunting for any family, but Liz and James face additional hardships. James struggles with his own medical issues, making it challenging to visit Gabriel in the hospital during the day. Liz has returned to school full-time, but this is, of course, highly stressful for her. In addition, the commute back and forth to CHOA each day is exhausting and time-consuming, meaning both parents are more sleep-deprived than usual.

This fundraising campaign will help provide funds for Gabriel's specialized formula, travel expenses for Liz and James to commute to CHOA every evening, and food expenses for nights when they stay overnight with Gabriel. Any additional funds will go towards everyday baby expenses such as diapers, wipes, clothing, accessories, and other needs.