Baby Gideon heart surgery

This is baby Gideon. He was born November 22, 2014 with a heart condition, Gideon has a ventricular septal defect, or VSD. This is a hole in the wall dividing the left and right ventricle chambers of the heart. Small ones often close on their own. Large ones (like Gideon's) result in a lot of blood flowing from the left to the right ventricle, bypassing the trip to the lungs to release CO2 and take on oxygen. As a result, baby Gideon has an irregular breathing pattern that requires him to be hospitalized quite often. One week after birth he was taken to the hospital because of rapid breathing. After two weeks and tons of heartbreaking tests on this tiny baby it was determined that no respiratory illness is causing the labored breathing. He simply can't get enough oxygen without a substantially elevated breathing rate, sometimes gasping for air. The constant vigilance and frequent hospital stays are very stressful emotionally, physically and financially. Gideon's parents are a young married couple just starting their family. Their expenses have already totaled thousands of dollars, with a lot more to come. We are raising funds to help with ongoing medical bills and for an upcoming heart surgery planned at the end of January. As he has no other discernible health issues, the surgery should result in dramatic improvement. The first goal we have set is fifteen thousand dollars for past and current ongoing medical expenses. Our second goal will be twenty thousand fillers for the heart surgery. If you can give any amount for this precious and beloved baby, please do. And please pray for baby Gideon along with his parents and the medical staff attending him. All funds donated will go directly to cover medical bills. If more money than needed is raised, baby Gideon's parents will donate the surplus to St. Louis Children's Hospital to help other families with children who are hospitalized. Thank you so much for helping our precious Gideon.