Medical Expenses for Baby Waylon Heiges

My four-month-old baby nephew, Waylon, has been very sick since he was about three weeks old. Aside from testing positive for COVID, his symptoms were a bit of a mystery. After lots of testing and multiple opinions from doctors at Munson Medical Center and DeVos Children’s Hospital, it was determined that the Coronavirus led to Kawasaki Disease, a very rare condition seen in young children that causes inflammation in the walls of blood vessels. This illness has caused him to have high fevers, full-body rashes, cracked and swollen lips, curled fingernails and toenails, and moderate to severe dilation of his coronary arteries. On top of being very painful, Kawasaki Disease can cause permanent heart damage, putting him at risk for health complications including coronary artery aneurysms and heart attack. He has been admitted to the hospital twice and has needed two IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin) treatments in an effort to suppress his immune system and reduce inflammation. He was prescribed Lovenox injections as well as both Aspirin and Plavix as blood thinners to prevent clots.

As of today, he is doing better but still has a long road ahead of him as he continues to see cardiologists, hematologists, and infectious disease experts. He needs regular cardiologist visits with EKGs and echocardiograms to monitor his condition, and will likely require this for the rest of his life. Waylon has experienced so much in his short life but has proven to be the strongest and bravest little baby.

On top of it all, Ashley’s position at her job was eliminated at the end of January, leaving her unemployed and her family of five trying to cover daily expenses and incoming medical bills on only one income. Scott is self-employed as an independent contractor, so they relied on Ashley’s corporate job for insurance, which has just expired. Since Ashley has to pay her $9,500 yearly deductible for both 2022 and 2023, the minimum we know she will owe is $19,000, but we know insurance won’t cover everything, and Waylon will continue to need doctor visits and medications for the foreseeable future. And because none of the doctors they've worked with have ever seen this disease in a baby as young as Waylon, Ashley and Scott are also trying to see a Kawasaki specialist in California to get some better answers on what Waylon's future will look like, which will be costly.

Ashley and Scott are not people to ask for handouts – they both work hard for everything they have – but their family could really use some help right now. I think anyone would agree that this is not something they should have to deal with on their own, so after some convincing, they agreed to let me set this up on their behalf. If you are in a position to help financially, I know Ashley, Scott, and Waylon would be forever grateful. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing ❤