Help Baby Dillon Fight Like a Lyons

Hi everyone! My dear friend turned sister-in-law, Lauren, and my husband's older brother, Mike, brought a beautiful baby boy into our world on 10/12/23 - 9 weeks before his due date. Dillon John Lyons was born at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH because his decreased movement in utero and poor fetal tracings showed that he would be safer out than in. Shortly after he was born, Dillon had a breathing tube placed and was transported by helicopter with his father to Mass General Hospital in Boston. Unfortunately, his mother who delivered by c-section, has not been transferred to be with him at this time because Mass General does not have any available beds and she is not yet well enough to be discharged. Dillon and his family have a long road ahead. Dillon was diagnosed with Down Syndrome in June and in September it was found that he has esophageal atresia with a tracheoesophageal fistula. I will attach a photo of what this means. The tube that is supposed to go to his stomach stops and closes off just inches into his chest. The tube that goes to his lungs breaks off and connects to his stomach. There are many dangers of this anomaly. Dillon will be undergoing surgery on Tuesday October 17th to repair his esophagus and trachea as well as to place a G-tube to keep air out of his belly and to eventually start feeding him when he is ready. Dillon is expected to recover and grow in the MGH NICU for a minimum of 2 months if there are no complications. Lauren and Mike reside in Epping, NH and they have a 6 year old daughter, Ava. Ava is in 1st grade and it is important to help keep stability for her. There will be family members driving back and forth to New Hampshire as well as Mike and Lauren making the trips in between. Because of their distance from the hospital, they would normally qualify for housing nearby, but there are months long waiting lists at this time. Hotels in the area cost $400/night at the VERY least. This is not sustainable for any family for months on end. Other costs associated with a long-term NICU stay are daily meals, parking, gas and the loss of income due to Lauren having to take a much longer maternity leave than she expected. If you can help out in any way, please know that Lauren and Mike are already dedicated to someday paying forward all of the generosity given to them at this time. It's important for them to focus solely on Dillon's health and Ava's stability over the next few months and relieving them of added financial pressure would allow them to do so. Please consider donating and/or sharing this page. I will update as often as I can on Dillon's progress! Thank you all!!!