Ontario family raising funds for baby with rare disease about to undergo major surgery
A Collingwood family is raising funds for the aftermath of a procedure that will leave them reeling for years.
Emma Garner gave birth to baby Sloan just nine months ago — but their time together has differed from a normal newborn-mother experience.
“She was born healthy. There was nothing concerning when she was born,” Garner told CTV News Toronto Thursday.
Before long, Sloan was showing signs of newborn jaundice.
“She got newborn jaundice, which a high amount of babies do, but what was different with her jaundice was that it never went away. It just kept getting worse and worse,” she continued.
At seven weeks old, Sloan underwent further testing, revealing that “all of her levels were extremely elevated," Garner said.
The next morning, Sloan was admitted to The Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, where she was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia ,a relatively rare disease that begins in early infancy and affects about one in every 10,000 to 20,000 infants.
A week later, she would undergo a surgery called the Kasai Procedure — a major internal surgery that connects the liver to the shortened intestine in the hopes of draining bile.
Sloan faced a challenging recovery period after her surgery.
“She just got recurring infection after infection. We were in the hospital a couple of times and eventually, they just said ‘This isn't working anymore.’ Her jaundice wasn't going away with antibiotics or anything,” Garner said.
Garner was soon told that Sloan would require a liver transplant at just nine months. Luckily, Garner was found to be a match. She will donate her liver to her daughter on June 24.
She said she felt a mixture of “relief and anxiety” upon finding out she was a match.
However, for two years after the procedure, Sloan will need to be on immunosuppressants, meaning that Garner will be out of work.
“I'm a registered nurse, so after her transplant, she'll be on immunosuppressants. Her immune system [will be] just horrible. So, I just decided not to go back to work for at least the future years,” said Garner.
In addition to Garner having to put a pause on her career, she will not be able to care for Sloan for six to eight weeks after the procedure, meaning her partner, Adrian, will also have to take time off work during this time.
The Garner family has started a GoFundMe to cover costs accumulated by medical care, accommodation costs during the time of the procedure and lack of income.
So far, they’ve raised just over $17,000 of their $20,000 goal.
“Our goal is [..] to focus on post-op recovery and health without worrying about the costs associated with it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.