Sarah & Odin's Great Start Fund

Odin came into this world on September 16, 2014, at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Within his first few days, he received a shunt to drain fluid from the large arachnoid cyst that blocks the cerebral aqueduct. After a couple of emergency trips to Ann Arbor from Sault Sainte Marie, things seemed to be going well. But the week before Thanksgiving, Odin's shunt became infected and Sarah and baby were on an emergency flight to Mott. 

The news was terrifying: meningitis and ventriculitis. That meant further cerebral spinal fluid issues with the horrible possibility of brain damage. On November 22, the neuro team at Mott removed the clogged shunt and catheter, put external catheters in place to drain the icky fluid, and began a 6-week course of hard-core antibiotics to kick the meningitis to the curb. 

Sarah lived at Mott and was at Odin's side constantly, except for an occasional escape to get to a store or grab a bite to eat. On Sunday December 28, Odin was finally discharged, and they came home to stay with Scott and Stacey. 

Odin will continue getting antibiotics via a PICC line through early January. It looks like Odin, tiny God of War, has defeated the meningitis. As for permanent damage . . . well, we can't be sure yet, but it looks like he's going to be just fine. Please continue to pray for that.

The next step is twice weekly visits with his amazing neurosurgeon, Dr. Garton, and team. They'll carefully monitor the fluid activity in Odin's brain and determine within the coming months the optimum placement for the new, permanent shunt. Odin's not out of the woods, but he's now living 20 minutes from one of the world's best children's hospitals and is under the care of outstanding neurological specialists . . . care not available in the state of Michigan anywhere north of Ann Arbor.

So here's where my head is with this GoFundMe campaign. We have a 22-year-old mom with a special-needs infant who just doesn't have the resources to handle all of this on her own. Motherhood? Oh, she's got that down pat. Odin is her #1 priority, and she's relocated and restarted her whole life to give Odin the best possible opportunity for health and well being. 

She's going to need a lot of help. Sure, she could find a super-cheap apartment in Ann Arbor and stand in the freezing cold at bus stops with her baby. But we can do better than that. 

Let's help Sarah to build a small nest egg so she can get a reliable car that will get her and Odin safely to and from their doctor appointments. Her goal is to live independently and support her son. We can help her get off to a great start, and maybe even put some money toward her education.