Warrior Blake's Journey

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Blake with his family before a procedure

"We Love You Blakey!"

Our goal with this fundraiser is to support the Hyde family as they are on this Heart transplant journey with Blake. He is currently inpatient, waiting for a new heart. After already having 2 open heart surgeries in his 1st year of life, it was recently (and unexpectedly) discovered that his heart is failing and he will need a heart transplant as soon as possible. He will be in the hospital until he receives his gift of life because he is on IV heart failure medications under close observation to help sustain him in the meantime. Blake had his 3rd open heart surgery May 29, 2023.

Blake's birth and first 2 open heart surgeries were in 2022, which means insurance deductibles and out of pocket maximums started over for 2023. We are thankful that they do have insurance, but they now have to meet deductibles/out of pocket costs again this year before the insurance kicks in. Its no secret that medical care of this magnitude is not cheap & with all of these surgeries happening so close to each other, it is not something that most people can prepare for ahead of time. Additionally, Julie has had to step away from their family business; a pay cut was needed so that they could hire someone full time to take on her duties, allowing her to focus on Blake & his medical care.

Outside of the astronomical medical expenses for Blake's care, Julie & Kasey are making multiple trips weekly, sometimes daily, to trade places between the hospital and home. The gas & meals on the road add up quickly, as well as meals for the parent that is staying with Blake. There is no time frame for when a heart may become available. The family may be living between 2 places for months, even a year. The financial impact in this situation is unimaginable.

As you can imagine, this is an incredibly stressful time for the Hyde family. Worrying about Blakes health, making sure the 3 older boys are taken care of, running the family business, managing 2 separate households, and the financial impact of all of it, is more than a family should have to carry alone. This fundrasier can take the financial burden out of the equation & allow them to keep their focus on the most important thing- their family.

No one person alone can help with everything, but together we can all pitch in, even if it’s only $1, and still make a difference for them! Not everyone can give, and thats ok. Praying for the family during this time is another way to show support. They need peace & strength as they wait for the call that they have found a heart for Blake. Also pray for stability with Blake's health as he waits- he has to remain stable & in good health to stay on the transplant list.

Another way to help is to SHARE SHARE SHARE this fundrasier! Let social media do its thing & spread the word as we support this baby while he waits on his miracle, and until he’s back home with his family where he belongs!

Below is a little background on Blake:

At Julie's 20 week anatomy scan, Blake was diagnosed with Heterotaxy syndrome along with being the recipient of a few extremely complex Congenital Heart Defects. They learned that their son is extremely rare and unique and that his stomach is on the right side of his body, instead of the left and his liver is positioned to the left, instead of the right. A Fetal Cardiologist was also able to determine Blake has a variant of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndome - Hypoplastic Left Ventricle, Double Outlet Right Ventricle and Complete Unbalanced Atrioventricular Septal Defect. Toward the end of the pregnancy, they learned that Blake had another beast like diagnosis to contend with, making him even more rare, but also put him in a much greater level of danger. He would need to be ready to have emergency open heart surgery very soon after birth. Infracardic Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return would be confirmed after birth. After he was born Blake turned very ill very quickly. The family was told Blake's diagnoses were a terrible problem to have. Blake's chances of survival had greatly decreased and if he did survive, he would need to be in the hospital long term. The team explained they would support the decision to not intervene and choose Comfort Care. He was much worse off than anticipated and the odds were significantly out of his favor.

Mountains would need to move. He would need a miracle.

Without hesitation, knowing they were giving their son the best and only chance at life, Julie & Kasey handed sweet Blake over to Dr. Fraser to save his life at just a few hours old. Dr. Fraser prepared them for their greatest fear but also didn't shy away from the challenge. Blake pulled through his first open heart surgery and over a few weeks made a miraculous recovery. He then did the same after his second open heart surgery, the Glenn in November 2022. However, at the end of April 2023, scans would show that Blake was in heart failure, and would need to be placed on a heart transplant list immediately. We didn't see this coming at all because the belief (after the Glenn surgery) was that Blake's heart would be able to sustain him for many years and he would hopefully be a candidate for a 3rd palliative heart surgery that would carry him even further into his future. Blake is strong and he is a fighter. Blake went to the OR for his 3rd open heart surgery to place Blake on a Berlin Heart. During the surgery, a call was received and his surgeon would not proceed with the Berlin Heart and we would see how he did with an adjustment to his pulmonary artery instead. In recent weeks his stay in the ICU has been more eventful. On July 29th Blake went into cardiac arrest requiring CPR for 23 minutes. His amazing team brought him back and Blake is continuing to hang in there. He is stable. God has been present and holding Blake, his entire medical team and the Hyde family through every step.

Thank you for supporting this family and following Blake's journey. They are blessed by every prayer, every call, every donation no matter how small.

Keep praying! ❤

#TEAMBLAKE #CHOOSEHOPE

#CHD #HEARTWARRIOR #HETEROTAXY #SINGLEVENTRICLE

#TRANSPLANT #ORGAN DONATION