Hi! My name is Abby and my sister, Amanda, and brother-in-law, Ben are the parents to my sweet nephew, Harrison. As most of are aware, Harrison was born with an unusual condition called Sagittal Craniosynostosis. This means that one of the sutures of his skull fused prematurely before he was born. Left untreated, this condition can lead to blindness, seizures and developmental delays. At 4 months old, Harrison was diagnosed at Duke University Hospital and underwent his first surgery in October 2023 at 5.5 months old. About 1 month after his procedure, he developed an intracranial epidural abscess that resulted in an 8 day hospital stay to get rid of the infection. Though it was 2 months delayed, he was able to start wearing a helmet with the hope of reshaping his head to the correct shape for development in December of 2023. Unfortunately, with winter and spring sickness all around, Harrison’s helmet therapy was interrupted, and his head was not able to be reshaped to the extent that the surgeons hoped. At the end of June, Harrison had a follow-up appointment with the plastic surgeon on his team and the family learned that Harrison will have to have a more invasive surgery called Total Cranial Vault Reconstruction (Total CVR) this coming Fall to correct the shape of his head and give him more room for his brain to develop properly. This will require a 3-5 night hospital stay along with several weeks of recovery at home.

As you can imagine, my sister and brother-in-law are facing a lot of expenses. Amanda will have to take unpaid leave from work during Harrison’s recovery, in addition to the medical expenses, travel expenses, and anything else needed by Harrison and his family. If you can make a small contribution and leave a message of support, I know their family would appreciate it more than anything! Thank you so much!