Ethan’s Medical Bills

Ethan is 18 months old. He was super happy and healthy on Monday, 11/25/19 and was a normal day for us. On Tuesday, 11/26, he woke up around 6 AM to have his morning milk. Around 8 AM he threw up, and after the second time he threw up (he had never thrown up before, just spit-up as a newborn), my husband took him to the pediatrician. They prescribed him Zofran (for nausea) and said it was probably a “stomach virus” and as long as he had 3 or more wet diapers a day he would be fine. Around 4PM, we gave him Zofran and he actually wanted to drink a bottle with juice. After about 15 minutes he threw up again and rapidly changed to lethargic and it was obvious he was getting dehydrated. We were at our closest Children’s ER around 6:30 PM. They tried to get IV fluids in him, but couldn’t get any veins and his health was quickly declining. From there, our worst nightmare started. Our son, Ethan, was pulse-less. They revived him with CPR and called in for a helicopter to take us to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. This hospital is 3 1/2 hours away (driving) from home. My husband is the only one who works, and is missing work to be here with us (he is a Captain/Paramedic with the Siloam Springs Fire Department). So far, Ethan has had a surgery to remove part of his colon. As of 11/29 his heart is getting healthier, he is still on a ventilator, and now on dialysis, hoping his kidneys will start functioning again. The first day we were here, we were called to the Financial Advisors office, who informed us that our health insurance policy only covers up to $5k for medical transports, and our helicopter would be about $25k total. On top of that, we don’t qualify for Medicaid or any government help, so our deductible is $4k plus $4k maximum out-of-pocket.

We never ask for help, we are the ones always helping others. Our friends and family who have checked on us keep asking what can be done to help. Prayers is a priority for us, if you have a minute of your day, please pray for full healing of Ethan. If you want to donate, feel free to do so on here or share our link.

Thanks,

Jennifer & Zac Griggs