Valley Manor Elementary School’s Grade 1 classes hosted a bake sale on Wednesday, May 8th to help raise money for their friend and classmate Hendrix, who will be travelling to Toronto for surgery this June. A Go Fund Me page was created to help support the family during this time, as numerous trips to SickKids in Toronto are required.
“Hendrix was born with a small jaw along with some other issues. He has struggled with his breathing since the day hewas born. He had a big jaw surgery when he was a baby and that was successful enough to get him to this point in his life,” Hendrix’ Aunt Megan Montgomery, stated via the online fundraiser.
Now that Hendrix is 6-years-old, and grown since his first surgery, another surgery is required to help his breathing, especially at night. This month, the family will be taking their fourth trip to Toronto in preparation for the June 24th surgery. The May trip will consist of a CT scan and continued Orthodontic work required prior to the surgery. The family will be required to arrive a week prior to the surgery, and recovery will take approximately three weeks.
“The number of times Hendrix has had to go back and forth to Toronto is more than expected and Gill has had to advocate pretty hard for continued support. Gill and family have reached out to Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) for the surgery stay in June and after numerous attempts, they have finally been waitlisted,” Montgomery explained.
The upcoming trip will be approximately five weeks long which, if unable to utilize RMHC, could prove to be quite costly. The family has held a steak night, an auction, as well as the online fundraiser to help raise funds to support the family.
“Hendrix being able to have this surgery will hopefully get him by until his teenage years and allow him to live a more ‘normal’ life. When your breathing is restricted, at nighttime especially, it doesn’t give you a chance to grow and have the energy needed to get through life as a busy, active kid. We appreciate the love, prayers and support more than words can say.”
