Tiny fighter with a rare liver disease.

Thank you so much for spending your time reading the story of Ovie Carter!

Ovie is the newborn of Nick & Kayla Nustad of Bismarck, ND (and my favorite nephew). His birth was nothing short of dramatic and he wanted to make sure his presence was known with his crazy birth story. He is the light of his parents (and grandparents, aunties, uncles, & cousins) lives. After the first few weeks of newborn perfection, the yellowing skin and eyes became an ongoing issue, with moments of improvement. Couple this with concerns at his 2 month checkup, it was determined Ovie needed more care than his current hospital could provide.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Ovie and his parents were sent down to the Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis so he could receive more specialized care. After a biopsy of his liver, it was confirmed that he has Biliary Atresia and needed immediate surgery, which took place on Sunday (May 28th).

Biliary Atresia is essentially when the liver and bile ducts are not functioning properly which results in the bile being trapped in the liver, thus resulting in damage to the liver cells which leads to scarring, loss of liver tissue & function, and cirrhosis.

While the overall financial impact is unknown due to the sudden discovery of Ovie's medical needs, there are immediate needs for Ovie and his family and your donations will help with the following:

* Travel Expenses: (their home is in Bismarck, ND)

* Meals

* Housing while they are with Ovie in MN

* Basic living needs while they are displaced

Long-term needs will be for the impeding medical bills, specialized diet, vitamins, supplements, routine doctor visits, etc. This will also require extended time off from work for both Kayla & Nick impacting their finances as well.

Any and all funds raised will be donated directly to Nick & Kayla for them to use as they deem fit to maintain this new limbo while they are seeking treatment for Ovie as well as creating a new "normal" for their family going forward.

As new information is learned from Ovie's doctors each day regarding his condition and prognosis specifically, Nick & Kayla kindly ask that you refrain from sharing medical advice or personal research for the time being. The Go Fund Me page will be updated as routinely as possible by immediate family members, so please keep all updates with others within the scope of what is being shared here only.

Thank you!