Ezekiel Castro-Herrera and his mom Sandra Castro

Hi, my name is Cristy Cortez-Sackrider and I’m trying to help Zeke and Sandra afford all the expenses with having a baby hospitalized out of town for a significant amount of time.

As many of you know, 2-year-old Zeke was diagnosed with a super rare chromosomal issue. While it causes many problems, by far the worst symptom is profound constipation. He’s spent numerous days in Memorial Hospital and Valley Childrens Hospital. After lots of advocacy and prayer, Zeke was accepted for care at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento. The Shriners generously care for children regardless of ability to pay. But his hospital stay comes with expenses for mom, a single mother, trying to pay for gas and room and board. While she is able to stay in the Kiwanis housing, $50 a night adds up after 2-3 weeks, and the six hour trip up and back is quite expensive with gas prices.

Sandra is unable to work due to the almost full-time care Zeke requires. They were turned down for cash aid and social security disability.

Zeke is currently in the hospital for the second time this month. He had surgery on the first to correct a misalignment between his rectum and anus. Already a difficult recuperation, his constipation compounded the problem. He started straining to poop and within a few days his stitches began to come out and the incision began to open.

Needless to say, they rushed back to Shriners where they are working to fix the damage to his surgical site, and remove the buildup of poop stuck in his rectum. As of now there is no plans to release him any time soon. As the expenses for gas and a room climb higher and higher, Sandra is about out of her savings and has no viable options for payment.

Please consider donating, any amount will help!