Hannah Saylor's Surgery Fund

Our beautiful friend, Hannah Saylor is scheduled for her 4th cranial surgery on May 25, 2016.

The total surgery costs are hundreds of thousands of dollars (the previous surgery was $520,000) of which $20,000 is a direct cost to the Saylor family. This fund will cover the family’s portion of the surgery.

Hannah, who turned 18 years old on Easter Sunday of this year, is one of the few teenage craniosynostosis surgical patients as it is very unique to have this particular surgery this late in life. She will undergo a full cranial vault in which an incision is made from ear to ear. The surgeon will peel down the face and the back of the skull and remove the top of the skull. The skull is often reversed and the back bone used for a new forehead. The forehead bone will then be reshaped and reattached.  This has happened each time to Hannah. Her forehead now is her God-given one but in this surgery will be reversed and become her back skull again. She will probably require some orbit work on her left eye. The skull is re-fused with dissolvable plates and screws. The surgeon will also be performing a bone graft from Hannah’s hip or a rib for nasal reconstruction.

In spite of an intense premium every month, the insurance coverage is remarkably inadequate. Dr. Fearon is out of network but there is no surgeon in network available. So, here is the financial mountain in front of Saylor family:

First upfront payment is due immediately - $2800.
Second upfront payment is due May 3rd - $2800.
Final catastrophic cap before insurance pays is $14,000.00

Hannah’s History
Hannah was born 4 1/2 weeks premature in Albuquerque, NM after a really tough pregnancy. Nathan and Lisa, Hannah’s parents, knew immediately something was wrong with her. Within hours Hannah was diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a condition where the cranium is fused prematurely keeping the brain from having enough room to grow. She was transferred to a bigger hospital with a level 3 nursery. After evaluations from a neurosurgeon and a plastics doctor her diagnosis was confirmed and surgery was scheduled. At 9 weeks old, Hannah’s surgeons performed a strip craniotomy. Cutting her from ear to ear and peeling her forehead down they then removed strips of skull to give her brain the needed space to grow. The Saylors researched this surgeon as much as possible pre-Google days and felt confident in his abilities. The experience of full-body blood loss and blood pressure dropping was horribly frightening. Although the recovery was very scary, Hannah developed normally hitting appropriate milestones.
Just before Hannah turned 2 Nate and Lisa suddenly saw drastic changes. Her face was changing; she was often crying and indicating she was suffering from head pain. Lisa began to research surgeons and found Dr. Jeffery Fearon in Dallas – a leading-edge Doctor dedicated to cranial birth defects and craniosynostosis.

An appointment for a consult was made and Dr. Fearon determined inner cranial pressure may be present and recommended immediate surgery. His thoughts were that the original surgeon made some serious mistakes. This time Hannah had a full cranial vault.  This surgery consisted of reopening the previous incision, peeling her face down, reconstruction of her orbital sockets and her forehead using bone from the back of her head, and doing an amazing rebuild. This recovery was so very different. She flourished and became the amazing young lady she was meant to be.

At age 14 Hannah shot up like a rocket, growing 6 inches in 8 months. Her bone graft and plate gave way and left unexpected issues. She began having headaches and a very scary seizure, as well as altered eye sight, sleeping patterns, and an obvious change in appearance.
Knowing another surgery could be required later, the Saylors realized this surgery was necessary for quality of life. The Saylors went back to Dallas to face yet another full cranial vault.  That surgery was successful but slightly risky because of her age.

Now here they are, facing the worst case scenario. After Dr. Fearon evaluated Hannah in January, his opinion is that her skull still isn't quite right. After prayer, thought, and many, many discussions the Saylors agreed as a family to proceed with this 4th surgery. It will be another full cranial vault, a forehead reconstruction and a nose bridge reconstruction. In Lisa’s words, “We all find ourselves facing something we do not want to but know that it's impossible to ignore what we are handed.”