Progress!

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated but now I have lots to write about.

1.  First off I should note: The original plan that SGU had set up for Deanna did not work out. I'm not entirely sure what happened. There may have been a miscommunication with the eye doctor who was going to work the case. I'm not sure. All I know is the doctor was not willing to put in the time for a child that would never be able to see out of the new eye. I won't put the doctor's name here as I imagine she's very good at what she does but I was very frustrated with that phone call and the entire situation. 
2. So instead we were lucky enough to have Dr. Collins! Not only is Dr. Collins a brilliant pediatric ophthalmologist but as the mother of an SO on the island we were lucky enough to actually have her come to Deanna making it much easier on Deanna and her mother.
3. Deanna met with Dr. Collins last Saturday. She had a mold taken of her eye socket and was checked for any possible infections or infection risk and everything looks good! She will NOT need surgery on the socket as had been previously reported. Dr. Collins took some pictures of Deanna's other eye so that the new eye will match her eye color exactly which will be very nice down the road. I know that the main part of this is getting the fake eye in so that her orbital bones can grow along with her body in proportion and help prevent infection but I know that she will appreciate it on later in life that her eyes will match. 
4. Dr. Collins placed a spacer in Deanna's socket to help her get used to the feel of the new eye when she has it. She's been doing so well with it which is a good sign that when she has her fake eye in that she won't be wanting to take it out.
5. The new eye should arrive in about another 3 weeks, give or take. There is a doctor on the island, Dr. John Martinelli who has been helping out with all of this. He will fit Deanna with her new eye when it arrives and make sure it is properly placed. He has also been given some of the putty to make more molds as time goes on.
6. Because of the nature of the change in events and having Dr. Collins come and do this, I will be contacting each of the people that donated individually over the next week to see what you would like done with your money - whether it continue to go to Deanna for future expenses, be returned, or possibly donated towards something else. 
7. Below are some photos that Stephanie sent me of Deanna with her spacer in. I will add more as they come and especially once Deanna gets her eye. 
8. If you have any questions/comments feel free to write them here or email me at amberelysegazo@gmail.com anytime.

Photo by Stephanie Scurlock.

Photo by Julie Delgado.

Photo by Stephanie Scurlock.

good news! (hopefully)

Hello everyone! I have a few pieces of news to share.

1. As I mentioned in the last post, I withdrew $2,000 of the raised funds to send to Jill for her to purchase her Visas and use on travel expenses for when the exact date of the surgery/procedure is set up. I received those funds yesterday and will be getting them to her either tomorrow or Tuesday. 
2. Kelsey and I have been looking into Jill & Deanna being able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house while they are here in Jacksonville, FL and found out some interesting things. The doctor who is performing the procedure needs to be the one to set it up so I called the doctor and got in touch with them. I learned that what Deanna is having done is basically non-invasive but will be very painful. Because she was born without anything in her socket no shape has been formed and therefore when they go to close it up and add a fake eyeball (or orb as they called it) it will have to be done in a 6 month long process. Unfortunately 6 months is too long for them to stay at the Ronald McDonald house. He said that maybe a week or two at the most is all he could get and also that the Ronald McDonald house will not be best long term anyway.
3. SO! I asked what exactly this procedure would entail time-wise. Even though it's over a 6 month period to have her come back in and get fitted for the next size orb every few weeks, she really only has to have the FIRST orb done here in America. Once she is measured (and I believe there might be a small surgical procedure to close any openings that might cause infection), the remainder of the orbs can be put in by any other eye doctor. I spoke with Dr. George Armstrong (the pediatric cardiologist who set this all up with one of his colleagues) and he said that he knows of an eye doctor in Grenada since he visits there frequently to check ups on the children. What we might be able to do is have Jill & Deanna come for 1 week/2 weeks and stay at the Ronald McDonald house for free while they measure and place the first orb. Then we would make sure Deanna was no longer at risk for infection and that there weren't any complications and send the remainder of the sized orbs back to Grenada with Jill & Deanna. Then when it's time to size up, they would go to the eye doctor in Grenada and have him do it. 
4. The reason that I'm hoping this plan works is because the doctor was explaining to me how inconvenient it will be for Jill & Deanna to be here the whole 6 months. The procedure itself of each orb fitting after the first is only about a day long. Meaning they would be here for 6 months, unable to live in free housing and having to pay rent and be away from their family which I know neither Jill nor her kids want, just to see a doctor for a day every couple of weeks.
5. Deanna NEEDS to be here in America for that first orb fitting/socket procedure but as far as the rest it seems as though there are some qualified doctors in Grenada that could perform the task.
6. The doctors working on her operate out of Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, FL in case anyone was wondering. 
7. I am currently waiting on a call back from Dr. Armstrong this week to let me know what the doctor performing the procedures and getting the orbs for Deanna says. I'm really nervous because I want my plan to work. Dr. Armstrong seemed to agree that it would be best for Deanna. I was very pleased how quickly he called me back and how much information he was able to give me. Also, considering it was his day off I was extremely happy just that he was willing to talk and work things out with me. So if you ever see this guy please give him a big old hug from me!

This is all the information I have right now but as I continue to get some I will update. I know Jill is very anxious and wants this procedure done as quickly as possible. She's ready for her child to be well and for all this to be over with as any parent would be.

A big thank you to those that have donated. Please continue to pass the message along so we can donate as much as possible to help sweet little Deanna out!

https://www.wepay.com/donations/160258

Update

Last night I withdrew $2,000 of the money raised to send to Jill so that she may purchase Visas for herself and Deanna as well as put the rest towards any expenses she might have before leaving Grenada. She is very upset at the thought of leaving her other children behind as it will be a long time away but she knows this is the right thing to do. If anyone is there in Grenada and sees her, please give her a hug or let her know you're supporting her. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to leave your children in another country.

Right now the plan is still to have the surgery in Jacksonville, Florida in February.

The SO Organization have informed me that their first bakesale of the season will go towards Deanna so if you're a student or near campus please keep an eye out and buy some baked goods. When I have more information as to a date and time I will post it here.

Welcome

This blog is to keep people updated on the progress of Deanna and her upcoming eye surgery. I know a lot of people that have donated and also those that are just interested in the situation have had some questions so I'm hoping that this can be a place for people to get some answers!

Here are some things I'd like to start off with:

1. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that has donated so far! And to everyone that has reposted links to the donation site on their facebook or other sites and emailed it to their friends. I've let Jill (Deanna's mother) know how wonderful everyone has been and she's been extremely touched. 
2. A few people have mentioned that they've been having issues with the WePay site this week - either that the link was not available when they clicked on it or after they donated they got an error screen. I'm not sure what's wrong with WePay but if you donate and you get that screen go ahead and email me at amberelysegazo@gmail.com and I will let you know if the donation went through. So far everyone that has emailed me, their donation HAS gone through. 
3. I had the original goal at $2,000 dollars and DID raise it to $5,000. I know a lot people were confused by that. I had originally thought that the University had raised more money to help out and I was incorrect. I just want to make sure we can raise as much as possible for Deanna.

I'm going to make a FAQ/General Questions page with answers to some questions that a lot of people have been asking. In the meantime if you have any questions feel free to post them here and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you again everybody you are making this all possible!

- Amber