Support Jesse's Heart Journey

Hello, my name is Tabby. My son Jesse was recently diagnosed with Cor Triatriatum, a rare heart defect, and will need open-heart surgery within 4-6 weeks.

Tuesday, December 10th, we took Jesse into the Emergency Room at Phoenix Children’s Hospital because he was lethargic and we thought he had the flu. They did labs and asked if they could keep him overnight for some IV fluids because his electrolyte level was really low. He also had Adenovirus, which is similar to cold, flu, etc. So we stayed the night, and the next morning they said they wanted to keep him another night so they could run some more tests and see what his calorie intake was because he was showing signs of failure to thrive. Jesse will be 7 years old on January 23rd and only weighs 38 pounds. Again, no problem, we stayed. They ran tests and said he’s definitely not malnourished and that I was doing my job as a mom by feeding him healthy meals, and wanted to test his thyroid. So they did, which was a little elevated but not much to be concerned about and was most likely elevated due to being sick. That night he was running a fever, and his heart rate was more elevated than it should have been even though he had a fever. They gave two rounds of bolus, and his heart rate was still 140-160s. The next morning they asked if they could do an ultrasound to check his heart. 30 minutes after the ultrasound, the doctor came in and told me he had Cor Triatriatum. Basically, there is an obstructing membrane in the left atrium, restricting the blood flow to the left ventricle, to then release into the rest of his body. The right ventricle of his heart is enlarged due to this because it’s working harder than it should be. It should be pumping at 24% but is pumping at 76%. The doctor explained to me that his heart is very tired and will need open-heart surgery as soon as possible, but with him having a virus, recovery would be a lot harder on him than if we waited 4 to 6 weeks when he’s not sick. This defect basically has his heart on Cardio mode at all times, causing him to burn more calories than he’s consuming, hence why he’s so skinny and cannot put on Weight.

I am making this GoFundMe because when he has his surgery, I will have to take off work for at least 2-4 weeks, depending on his recovery. I can take FMLA, but it is unpaid, and while my child comes first before everything, bills do not halt. Anything and everything helps. If you would like to donate off of GoFundMe, I also have CashApp and Venmo. My CashApp is $tabbymommyof2 and my Venmo is @Tabitha-Hart-33.

Thank you all in advance.