Betty’s Big Heart
On Tuesday, October 27th, 2020, Andrya Dodson and Lester Stoltz had a routine ultrasound of their 33-week-old unborn baby, Betty Ann Stoltz. It was discovered she had an enlarged heart.
Early the next day, Lester and Andrya arrived at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle Washington, to undergo further testing. The tests revealed that Betty had severe Cardiomyopathy, causing the left ventricle of her heart to expand and develop incorrectly. Betty would not be able to survive an immediate C-section at this time.
After consulting with the team of doctors from the University and a team from Children’s Hospital in Seattle, the decision was made that Betty would be safest if she was left to grow to 37 weeks.
On November 16th, Andrya and Lester left their home in Leavenworth, Washington, to settle in Seattle. Allowing them to be near the two medical centers, UW Medicine and Children’s Hospital, to help with Betty’s needs when she was born.
Upon their arrival, the Doctors recommended that Andrya maintain her pregnancy to 39 weeks, giving Betty the opportunity to grow and get stronger. Andrya and Betty were closely monitored for the next two weeks.
On December 3rd, 2020 Andrea started the labor process. After 2 days of labor, it was decided to deliver Betty through a C-section. Betty was born on December 5th at 13:03.
Betty required immediate life saving measures. She was intubated and immediately moved to Seattle Children’s Hospital where a team of doctors were waiting to see to her needs. Lester accompanied Betty to the hospital while Andrya stayed behind to recuperate from her surgery.
From the moment Betty was born, she required medical interventions to help her sustain life while waiting for a heart transplant. In the weeks that have followed Betty has had many medical procedures and surgeries done. Even with this, Betty remains strong and continues to fight for her life.
What is normally routine for a healthy baby causes undo stress on Betty and her heart. She fights through the diaper changes, bathing, feeding, being very susceptive to stress and reacts to it. Even with all this, she continues to fight and live.
Andrya and Lester take turns being at Betty’s side. They cannot both be there due to the Covid virus. They are with Betty comforting her and caring for her. They continue to maintain their positive attitude and are juggling the many challenges facing them.
While we continue to pray for Betty, the Stoltz family needs your help. Your generous donation to COTA in honor of Betty, no matter how big or small, will allow COTA to help this wonderful family during this difficult and unprecedented time. Travel to and from Children’s Hospital and University of Washington Medical Center, the growing medical expenses, an uncertain number of months off of work, and daily living expenses are adding up quickly. If you are able, please help families like the Stoltz family as they navigate through this difficult time. By providing help during this time, Andrya and Lester will be able to stay focused on Betty and help her grow strong!
If a donation to COTA isn’t possible, we ask that you please say a prayer or send a thought. Please share www.cotaforbettysbigheart.com or #bettysbigheart on social media or send this message to friends and family. Betty will need more than a village to survive. Anything you can contribute will allow COTA to help this amazing family and ease their lives a little bit.
Lester and Andrya
Andrya is a MA at Cascade Medical in Leavenworth WA. If you ask her patients or co-workers, she is an amazing, hardworking and caring person. All would agree, she would be a wonderful mother. Andrya enjoys cooking, canning, farming chickens and bees, walking dogs and paddle boarding with her family. She would want nothing more than to do this with her baby girl.
Lester is an EMT at Cascade Medical, is hard working and the second most caring person (Andrya being #1). He is a volunteer on the SAR and Swift Water Rescue Teams. He teaches CPR to the community and co-workers, along with EMT courses. He enjoys a host of outdoor activities and would love to share those experiences with Betty.
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.