Support Charles Through Heart Surgery

Hi, My name is Julie and I am fundraising for this sweet boy and his family. In February 2023, Charles was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect (ASD). ASD is a congenital birth defect of the heart in which there is at least one hole in the wall (septum) that divides the upper chambers (atria) of the heart. Charles has two holes in his heart.

On March 15th, Charles found out he was not a candidate for the less invasive catheter-based repair. His type of ASD repair surgery involves an incision through the chest wall to access the heart directly. Open-heart surgeries usually require a hospital stay of four to five days, but the full hospital stay could be up to ten days. Once he is released from the hospital, it's estimated that it will take six to eight weeks for his breastbone and chest muscles to heal. So this sweet boy will spend almost his entire summer break stuck in bed recovering from open heart surgery. 

In addition to this news, they were also informed he may have aortic root enlargement. Later this year he will undergo genetic testing and further monitoring. If his aortic root continues to show enlargement, he will need to undergo an additional surgery.

The median cost of surgery to repair a complex ASD is $55,430. Insurance only covers a portion and does not include the cost of the hospital stay, gas, food, and lodging. The surgery is scheduled for June 6th, 2023 at Shands Hospital in Gainsville, FL. Since Gainsville is not very close to home, expenses related to this stay and future trips will also increase the cost for mom every time they have to go to Gainesville for treatment and follow up appointments. 

I am hoping to reach our goal and provide some financial relief to Charles and his family so the main focus can be on doing everything we can to keep him as comfortable as possible as he recovers.

As the saying goes "It takes a village to raise a child". Please remember that no donation is too small. Collectively, it all adds up. Thank you so much for your support.