Support Baby Violet's New Perspective

Hi, my name is Violet!! I'd like to explain a little bit about the journey my family and I have have been on since the day I arrived. My parents noticed very shortly after I was born that I was struggling to look upward. I could look all directions, but my eyelids seemed to be drooping. The doctor wanted to wait a few weeks to determine whether or not it was edema (swelling) of my eyelids, as it was hard to tell at birth. My Momma's heart knew deep down it was not swelling. After COUNTLESS (and continuing) hours upon hours of research, my parents found the term 'Congenital Bilateral Ptosis.' National Institute of Health defines Congenital Ptosis as "the presence of a droopy eyelid or eyelids since birth. The ptosis may not be immediately noticeable after birth but is usually noticeable within a few months. It can be unilateral or bilateral," - meaning it can affect one or both eyes. We saw two different doctors before finally seeing Dr. Melissa Cole at iDocs of Dodge City (Cozy's eye doctor) who agreed something might not be right. She referred us on to Dr. Lucas Trigler in Oklahoma City. Dr. Trigler confirmed that I was in fact born with bilateral ptosis - a weakness of both upper eyelid muscles. My levator muscles (eyelid muscles) will not get better or stronger on their own. The only solution for ptosis is surgery.

My Mom joined a Facebook group that ended up being our saving grace. She was able to talk to other mothers from all over the world (literally) who have gone through this firsthand with their children. My Parents extensively researched surgeons for this particular diagnosis, and they found Dr. Ramon Medel Jimenez. He is an Ophthalmologist and leading expert in orbital and lacrimal surgery, congenital ptosis as well as trauma and tumor surgery. He created a surgery in 2002 specifically to help children and adults diagnosed with ptosis. Several mothers my Mom spoke with said that the best decision they made for their child was traveling to have Dr. Medel perform the surgery for them. His results are incredible, and the type of surgery he invented will more than likely only require me to have surgery once in my lifetime. That being said, we had a zoom meeting with him in September. He described my case as severe, and explained that it could possibly impact my vision, crawling, walking, etc. due to head tilting to try and look upward. That was all my parents needed to hear. My Family and I will travel to Malaga, Spain in the Spring where Dr. Medel will perform Frontalis Flap surgery on both of my eyelids, connecting my eyelid muscle to my forehead muscle. It will allow me to open my eyes fully and correctly and also help to try and prevent issues with my vision. The cost of the surgery is not covered by insurance, the cost is all out of pocket. If you feel lead to donate, I know any amount of contribution will help. Thank you !!!