Mike & Lauren Need Our Help (Medical Journey Ryan & Freya)

On May 19th, 2024, 7-week-old Ryan Gibbens fell ill. He became increasingly fussy, his temperature shot up and he was unable to keep food down. His parents, Mike Gibbens and Lauren Allison, rushed him to The Hood River Emergency Department who assessed Ryan and sent them home instructing them to watch and wait assuming it was just a virus.

When his symptoms hadn't improved two days later, Mike & Lauren brought him to their primary care provider. This time they were told Ryan's case was beyond their scope of practice and that they needed to seek specialized pediatric care immediately at OSHU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.

On May 21, 2024, Mike & Lauren rushed Ryan to Portland where he was admitted to Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

The ensuing days have been a rollercoaster.

After a series of exams on Day 1 (Tuesday), medical professionals relayed to Mike & Lauren they were unsure what was happening with Ryan. He remained fussy, his fever remained high, he was still unable to keep food down, his stool turned to liquid. His vitals were, however, stable. He was monitored by machine and fed by nasogastric (NG) tube. They kept him overnight.

Day 2 (Wednesday) provided no more answers - Ryan's fever remained high, he still couldn't keep food down and was getting increasingly upset. Doctors still had no answers on what may be causing his symptoms. They continued to monitor Ryan, his vitals remained stable. Despite needing to be fed by NG tube, by the evening his fever dropped into normal range - 98.7! Things looked promising but they kept him another night to be sure.

Thursday morning (Day 3), was a day. Ryan woke with his temperature in the normal range, however, the liquid stool had returned. Just as things were starting to look up, Ryan's temperature shot up, his pulse dropped and he became unresponsive.

As of today, Sunday May 26, 2024, Ryan remains unstable and they still do not have a diagnosis. He can't keep food down and is losing weight, his temperature is spiking rapidly and without warning, he has been moving in and out of responsiveness since Thursday. Doctors ran a new set of tests today; Mike and Lauren are hoping for answers, any information.

Mike, Lauren & Ryan remain at Doernbecher Children's Hospital waiting on a medical team for 1-2 procedures. With this being a long weekend, both of these procedures have been delayed. They are unsure when either procedure will happen.

Unfortunately, there is more.

Those of you who know Mike & Lauren know that their sweet 8.5-year-old Malamute, Freya, their first born, holds a special place in their heart, right next to Ryan and Kitty.

In early May 2024, Mike & Lauren noticed Freya starting to limp. They thought the 120 lbs fur baby had sprained her leg and cared for her as such - high nutrient food, modified exercise to allow her leg to heal, TLC. The week before Ryan fell ill, Freya's veterinarian appointment revealed devastating news. Freya was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in her left front leg. Cancer, which, if left untreated would continue to spread and ultimately take her life.

An appointment with the oncologist held a silver lining, they caught the cancer early. The oncologist is hopeful that amputation, in addition to chemotherapy, should isolate and remove Freya's cancer.

Freya is scheduled to have her left front leg amputated on Tuesday May 28, 2024. Two days from now.

So. Mike & Lauren need your help. The costs have been piled on:

Freya Total: $11,000

If you have anything to spare, two of the brightest lights in our community could use your help. Of all the generosity and care Mike & Lauren have provided our community, it's time for us to share a little with them and help them through this incredibly difficult time.

Thank you so much for your help.

Jess