Spread Comfort & Bravery to Children's Hospitals w/ Wyatt Wood
Wyatt Wood (Dan and Katie’s son) was diagnosed with subvalular aortic stenosis when he was two-years-old. This was a surprise to everyone has he was asymptomatic at the time; if not for a diligent pediatrician this would’ve gone undiagnosed. He has a fixed obstruction to the left ventricular outflow track in the heart. While it was initially hopeful he could wait for surgery until older, his first open heart surgery to resect the subaortic membrane growing around the valve was at 2.5 years old (February 2023). Post surgery Wyatt was doing great and then slowly things started to deteriorate and we learned in December of 2023 that he would require repeat open heart surgery in 2024 to remove the membrane that grew back - our worst case scenario. We’ve further learned that this will likely cause the need for placement of a permanent pacemaker.
Wyatt is such a resilient and happy child. Most people would never know that he has a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD). 2/7-2/14 is CHD Awareness week and in honor of and leading up to this, the Wood Family is partnering to fundraise for Brave Gowns. Brave Gowns creates the softest and most fun hospital gowns that bring a little hope and normalcy to those that need it the most. We were fortunate to find them before Wyatt’s first surgery. He loved to wear the hockey player and heart warrior gown. The day after his initial surgery, he looked down at the gown and said, SUPERHERO & smiled. It was such a precious moment.
The Brave Gowns were originally developed in tandem and with clinical testing alongside the Lurie Children’s Hospital transplant team, which is where Wyatt receives treatment. Your donation will fund a targeted gift to Lurie Children’s Hospital providing gowns for children across a range of ages and diagnoses to those that can’t afford them on their own.
It’s hard to explain to those that haven’t been through it, what it’s like to go through this process. We would give anything to take away the pain or fear that Wyatt experiences around surgery. Something as simple as a superhero gown can go a long way for a child. Please consider bringing this joy to multiple children in honor of Wyatt. Our goal is ambitious, but this will restock all of Lurie’s inventory, which hasn’t been done since 2019.
For those that want to follow Wyatt’s journey as a heart warrior, we invite you to read along on a blog created upon his initial diagnosis:
A Brave Gown is a high-quality gown that helps eliminate infections in the chest port and makes it easier to access every part of a patient's body! Brave Gowns are brightly colored gowns that replace unattractive and uncomfortable hospital garments. Brave Gowns are the perfect gift to send a child to the hospital!
WHEN ORDERING THESE GOWNS, CHECKOUT WILL ASK FOR YOUR ADDRESS, BUT THEY WILL SHIP DIRECTLY TO A HOSPITAL, NOT TO YOU PERSONALLY!