A crowdfunding campaign has been launched for a Wallaceburg boy, who is battling an unknown issue with his liver.
Rob Marchand said his wife Tara brought their 11-month-old boy Jevon to the hospital due to vomiting and a high fever back on Wednesday, January 24, 2018.
Fast forward to March and doctors are still trying to figure out what is wrong with the young boy.
“Just so there are no misconceptions, the doctors and specialists have still not been able to figure out what is wrong with Jevon’s liver,” Rob Marchand said on the fundraising campaign page setup on GoFundMe.
“His liver is still abnormally enlarged and not functioning properly, so he is still a very sick baby despite his smiles and energy. So no, things are not all better now just because he looks a lot happier.”
Jevon’s dad said to add to the problem, he won’t take a bottle, so he is being fed through a feeding tube that is inserted through his nose and into his stomach.
“The good news is that we have finally been discharged from the hospital so we have been home since (March 2),” he said.
“We have been trained on how to insert his feeding tube, place it and run the feeding pump so our house is starting to look like a hospital room. Unfortunately, life is going to still be a bit expensive because now that we are home, we have to travel back and forth to London for all his appointments.”
Jevon has two surgeries coming up around the end of March and around the end of April, Rob Marchand said.
“One is for his liver biopsy and the other one is to have a (gastrostomy tube or G-tube) inserted directly into his stomach, which means we will probably be spending another week or so in London for recovery around the end of April,” he said.
“So things appear to be moving in a positive direction at this point, but again things could always change. Especially now that we are home and if he ends up contracting another virus, we could be right back to square one.”
Jevon’s dad said a paediatrician told them on March 2 that if the biopsy doesn’t yield any new answers in London, he may be sending them to the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital.
“So we’ll just have to wait and see… but in the meantime, I just can’t stress enough how grateful we are to all you wonderful people out there who have made it possible for us to make it this far right beside Jevon’s side. Also, if you haven’t already and would like to make a donation, I know we are home for the time being, but the extra support could definitely help with traveling back and forth to all his appointments and it would be greatly appreciated.”
In 23 days, the crowdfunding campaign has raised $4,600 of their $5,000 goal.
“I just wanted to send a big shout out to all our supporters,” Rob Marchand said.
“You guys have been amazing. You have made it possible for us to stay with our baby boy in the London Children’s Hospital. I know for a fact we would not have been able to stay by his side without you. Thank you so much everybody and keep praying, we will keep everyone updated until his problems have been dealt with and he is home healthy and good to go.”
To donate to the campaign, click here.
Another online fundraiser wraps up at 7 p.m. on March 7. To check it out, click here.
– Photo credit: GoFundMe
