Little Scarlett's BIG life

Surgery Update: 

October 27th,

We just want to let everyone know..... Scarlett is out of surgery and successfully...so far....extubated... yay... you go girl.. this surgery has gone so successfully so far. 

Amanda 

Hi, friends! Robin here.

I met Jay the night a tornado had ripped through our neighbourhood. The devastating storm had left trees laying across the road. Jay and a friend helped clear the way, allowing the passage of emergency vehicles to access our neighbourhood. His wife Amanda is an educator, who I've had the great opportunity to work with. If you have had a child in one of Amanda's classrooms, you understand how fortunate you are and can appreciate her thoughtfulness and commitment to the children she teaches.

Scarlett, their daughter; a spunky, loving, sassy and precious little girl was born on July 12, 2018. Scarlett was born with an omphalocele (meaning that her organs - liver, stomach, gallbladder and bowels - were on the outside of her body), scoliosis and pulmonary hypertension.

Scarlett's beginning has been a fight, but she has lived up to the challenge. With parents by her side, Scarlett stayed intubated for her first 8 weeks, enduring a few extubation failures. At 6 months, Scarlett was to have a surgery to finally allow her to leave the hospital and go home. Unfortunately, this surgery led her to contract sepsis and the family was told to contact loved ones to say their final goodbyes. Her last hope, one final surgery, that did ultimately help save her life. She came out of that surgery on dialysis, still very sick, but on the road to recovery. After 550 days in hospital to begin her life, Scarlett was able to finally go home to Port Sydney. Today, a beautiful, happy, loving 3 year old girl gets to play at the park and feel the sunshine on her face.

Scarlett's health journey continues on October 28th. She will undergo another surgery, this time to have some of her organs put into place, in her body. This will be a slow process and Jay and Amanda have been told to expect at least 3 to 4 more major surgeries. These surgeries require Amanda and Jay to make significant adjustments to their current lifestyle; from taking leave from work, to taking up temporary residence in Toronto, these adjustments will undoubtedly create a financial strain.

Jay, Amanda and Scarlett; generous and loving Port Sydney residents, humbly accept our assistance. As a community, let us rally around the people who make it a wonderful place to live. Let us join together and help support the ones who are willing to assist in the dangerous conditions after terrifying storms and enlighten our children in the classrooms here in Muskoka.

The first annual Mary Lake Marathon will be held on October 10th, 2021. I will be running 42 kilometers around Mary Lake; through Utterson, Huntsville and the other villages along the route, totalling the entire perimeter of Mary Lake. If you would like to join me for this groundbreaking event, we will be organizing a 5km run and I would ask you to make a contribution towards Scarlett's fundraising effort. Please contact me for more details if you are interested in running. If you are not a keen runner, but would still like to donate and help make an impact, please consider donating to the crowdfunding arrangement in the name of Scarlett.