Help Baby Achilles

Hello, thank you for visiting baby Achilles' fundraiser.

About Achilles:

Achilles was born in December. Three days after his birth, he was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a series of four heart defects. The TOF is suspected to be caused by a genetic deletion on his 11th chromosome. He has two genetic deletions, one of which no one else in the world has been reported to have. This deletion has caused his TOF, failure to thrive, and eye colobomas (cat eyes). He stayed 47 days in UC Davis' NICU, came home for 13 days, and was transported back to UC Davis via helicopter and admitted to the PICU. He is expected to live in and out of the hospital until after his heart surgery.

His treatment plan:

His main goal is to gain enough weight for his cardiac surgery to repair the hole in his heart. He will be followed and treated by cardiology, dietary, pediatric surgery, Opthalmology, gastroenterology, genetics, neurology, and speech therapy. We will be commuting from Redding to Sacramento for these visits.

About mom, Bridget:

My name is Bridget; I'm Achilles' mother. I'm a single mother, as I left my ex-husband to give my son a better and healthier life when I was 12 weeks pregnant. I, however, kept in contact with my ex-husband every step of the way so that Achilles could have the opportunity get to know his dad. If my ex husband would choose that. Unfortunately, my ex-husband decided to stop responding to my messages when I was six months pregnant. I would say this is a good thing, but it has put Achilles and me into a financial burden. I'm a full-time, disabled college student. Due to Achilles' high needs, I cannot work as I haven't found suitable childcare that meets his needs. In the future, with my school pathway, I may have the opportunity to balance working and caring for Achilles as I want to open my own childcare facility.

Why we need help:

We need help because I cannot work to provide Achilles with income right now. He needs me to take care of him at home and manage his healthcare. He has many special needs, including needing to eat through a G-tube. He has many medical appointments he needs to go to as he has eight different doctors from various specialties. Unfortunately, my only income is $800 a month during school months from receiving the PEL Grant.

What the money will go to:

-A new, reliable vehicle to get Achilles to and from appointments as mine is unrepairable. This is the most urgent matter.

-Hotels for when we have out of town appointments

-A security deposit when we can move to Sacramento to be close to his doctors

-The cost of healthcare needs that insurance won't cover

-Items that will give Achilles and me a better quality of life, such as out-of-pocket childcare that meets his needs, developmental toys, and more.

-Paying for bills such as insurance and gas

-Any unexpected needs that may come up

-An attorney for Achilles' Social Security and potentially for child support from his father

-Gofundme fees

I understand 30,000 is a lot to ask for, but we truly need the help.

If you would like Achilles' full story, to meet face-to-face for more details, want updates on his health and story, or want to help in another way please reach out.