Rafe is a sweet, energetic 4 year old little boy who has been in the fight of his life since the day after Thanksgiving 2020. He started not feeling well and was referred to OU Children’s medical center in OKC. His condition continued to decline despite all the doctor’s efforts and on Tuesday, Dec 8, 2020, Rafe was flown by air ambulance from OU Children’s to Cincinnati Children’s to be near a transplant center if needed.
Rafe continued to have daily highs and lows and was placed on the waiting list for a liver transplant. While on the waitlist, his condition rapidly declined which necessitated that he receive daily MARS therapy to help rid his body of the buildup of toxins due to his liver not functioning properly. You can read more about MARS here: https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/m/mars-therapy-liver-dialysis
With God’s guiding hand, a perfect match was found for Rafe and on Friday, Dec 18. 2020, he received a new liver.
Rafe is truly an amazing little boy! He is an “all-boy” boy. He loves playing outside, riding the tractor with Daddy, doing crafts with Mommy and anything, and we mean absolutely anything, to do with dinosaurs.
He has consistently exceeded the doctor’s expectations of his recovery and he is now home in Oklahoma under very strict quarantine guidelines to make sure that he stays safe and healthy. This quarantine will allow his body and liver time to heal and rebuild his immune system. He currently makes weekly trips to Oklahoma City to visit OU Children’s Hospital where his doctors in Cincinnati have coordinated his care. He will need to make periodic trips back to Cincinnati to check in with his doctors there and monitor his progress.
The prayers, calls, texts and love shown to our family has been overwhelming and we cannot express how much each and every one means to us as we continue with Rafe in his recovery. He is truly our little walking miracle.
As you can imagine, the costs associated with Rafe’s medical care are absolutely astronomical. The support of our family, friends and community has made us very aware that we live in a wonderful place and a group of volunteers have started working the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to raise funds for transplant-related expenses for children like Rafe. 100% of the proceeds raised from fundraising will go to COTA to assist families like us with transplant-related expenses.
If you would like to donate to COTA, go on up there to the blue “Give Now” button on the right side of the page at the top and give it a click! Our family and families like ours cannot express how much your donations mean to us. We appreciate each and every one, no matter how large or how small. May God Bless You All.
~~~Greg and Hillary~~~