We Are Team Ollie

On July 2nd, my sister and her husband brought their son, Oliver, to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. They have spent every day and night in a hospital room since.

Before the holiday weekend, Ollie was showing signs of a stomach bug. After noticing that he was becoming increasingly lethargic and losing his appetite, his parents called their pediatrician to see if he should come in for a check-up. Usually, kids can tell you when and where something hurts, but because Ollie has Autism Spectrum Disorder and is non-verbal, Kate and Andrew must go off other cues. The doctor sent Ollie home with directions to call if symptoms got worse.

After another sleepless night, Kate and Andrew decided to drive him to the emergency room. He received 2 bags of fluids and was sent home. Again, things seemed to worsen, so they returned to Children's Hospital. After many CT scans, X-rays, scopes, IVs, and tests, the doctors could finally spot the issue. Ollie was experiencing many GI issues, first discovering he was completely constipated and later finding ulcers in his stomach and intestines. Because Ollie's hemoglobin numbers were low, they also believed he was bleeding somewhere internally. The doctors could stop the bleeding, and he would remain at the hospital for observation.

Until today, July 25, Ollie's numbers were improving; he was removed from many of the medicines and IVs, and even was allowed to eat some solid foods again! Both Katie and Andrew were optimistic about going home within a few days. But today, Katie noticed that Ollie's leg was swollen and a blood clot was discovered. He will remain in the hospital until this issue is resolved and they feel he is stable enough to return home.

As you can imagine, this has caused not only many sleepless nights for all involved but is also beginning to cause financial strain. Typically Andrew would be working his full-time job and picking up overtime hours while Katie manages all of Ollie's daily therapy appointments. A lot of you have been asking what, if anything, you can do to help. Andrew and Katie are incredibly grateful for all of the friends and family who have brought them meals, sent gift cards, or helped in other ways. They feel your love and support every day. I've created this page as a means for those who have been asking what else can be done.

We hope Ollie will be home soon, but until then We Are Team Ollie and will help in any way possible! Thank you!