On March 25th, 2023 at 7:20 pm, Stephany and Alex Luithly welcomed their first baby, William Christopher Luithly. During his 24-hour tests, it was discovered that his heart was not pumping blood through his body correctly after he failed his CCHD (critical congenital heart disease) screening. He was taken to the NICU and placed on oxygen and antibiotics. After an echocardiogram was completed, it was determined that he has congenital heart disease and was transferred to a Level IV NICU at the University of Minnesota Children's Masonic Hospital. Further testing was done and William was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve and severe aortic stenosis. He was taken for a non-invasive balloon dilation procedure that was unsuccessful. He is currently in the NICU recovering and once stable, will undergo his first open-heart surgery, called the Ross Procedure. He will then have another open-heart surgery when he is between 1 and 4 years old.

* Edit 5/11/23: Since we started this GoFundMe a lot has changed in Williams condition. He has undergone multiple procedures ( including 4 open heart surgeries) and is on LVAD (left ventricle assist device) and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) life support. Due to the severity of his condition, we have increased the goal of the fundraiser. William will be hospitalized for far longer than initially anticipated and is in need of a heart transplant. After his transplant, he will be under the care of cardiologists for the rest of his life. *

The goal of this fundraiser is to help Stephany and Alex ease the financial burden they will face during this time when all of their attention needs to be on little William. Any donation is appreciated and if you can't donate, please consider sharing this and keeping the Luithly family in your prayers.

Updates will be shared here as we get more information.