Gates Strong

Tyler “Gates” Melton was born via emergency c-section on 03/09/21 due to his heart rate being over 300. He was transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital a few hours after his birth due to his heart rhythm issues. He was placed in the NICU there but was quickly transferred to the CVICU (the cardiac unit) due to several SVT episodes (Supraventricular tachycardia, his heart is beating too fast during these episodes.) I've have started this gofundme to assist in paying Gates' medical bills and to help his parents with the added expense of constantly being at the hospital. Thankfully Austin (dad) has great insurance through his employer but the plan will not pay everything at 100%. I've worked in the health insurance field for the past 20 years and have reviewed their plan benefits, the best case scenario is that they will have to pay at least $10,000.00 of his medical expenses in 2021. This is just my educated estimation, the amount his parents are financially responsible for could be even more. This amount also does not allow for the medical bills Makala (mom) will receive for her pregnancy care and delivery as she is not covered on Austin's plan. Therefore, the $10,000.00 yearly out of pocket max does not apply to her care. 



They should not have to worry about paying medical bills or the added cost of eating at the hospital, buying things needed to make their and Gates' stay at the hospital easier and more comfortable. Makala and Austin need to be able to concentrate on Gates getting well and taking care of Blakely. This situation is every parent's nightmare and I'd like to ease the burden any way I can for them. I know others do too. 



The doctors have struggled to find what exactly is causing the SVT episodes but at this time they are attributing it to him having an extra electrical fiber in his heart. He also has a left ventricular non compaction (which basically means he doesn’t have a smooth heart muscle) and the top two chambers of his heart are enlarged. He underwent emergency surgery Saturday March 13th (he was only 4 days old) to remove a large blood clot. The surgery was successful and he seems to be responding well to his current medicine regimen.  Our little guy has lots of issues with his heart, but he is a fighter!

We will forever be grateful for all the love everyone has showed Gates and our family. We appreciate every prayer, positive thought, healing vibe, etc that has been put out there for us. You can follow Gates' progress by joining his Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/gatesstrong/

#gatesstrong