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Roger "Bubba"
Roger Logsdon is a 6 year old little boy that was born with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome a congenital heart defect where the right structures of the heart are underdeveloped. He had his first surgery at 2 months old, a lung surgery at 4 months old, multiple cardiac cath procedures, g-tube insertion, broviac put in and taken out as a baby, put back in at the time of his second heart surgery (Fontan Procedure) in August 2017. Recovery in the hospital after the Fontan surgery was expected to be 2 weeks to 1 month. Unfortunately multiple complications after the surgery left him in the hospital for 6 months where he ended up having a second lung surgery, just 2 months after his second heart surgery. So much for a little boy like Roger to go through! He is a tough boy though! His smile will radiate the room.
We heard from a little bird that Roger "Bubba" was obsessed with WWE and Roman Reigns! We gifted him a life size cutout of Roman Reigns along with a WWE ring complete with lights and accessories. He also received tickets to WWE Monday Night Madness complete with a limo drive. Recently we gifted Bubba a night at the Charcoal Corral. Drive-in's, dinner, snacks, mini golf & arcade games! |
KorbynKorby just turned one when an unexpected lump was pultruding out of his neck. Doctors weren't sure what is was and through many different appointments they revealed it was an enlarged lymph node. They went through a whole bottle of antibiotic with fevers still present and no change in size of the lump they were hoping for. It had actually grown bigger, not smaller. The lump was making it hard for Korbyn to breath and he was having a hard time turning his neck. They went to Golisano Children’s Hospital Emergency room and received x-rays and an ultrasound. Korbyn had an extreme Infection that was med-resistant in the lymph node in his neck. Korbyn did great during his surgery, aside from multiple IV problems. He even smiled a little bit after! He is feeling better now and doing everything an active one year old does!
Maria's Sunshine & Dreams Fund gifted Korbyn and his family a one year family Seneca Zoo membership to enjoy with his brothers! We also gave him and his family a basket full of games, toys, diapers, clothes and gift cards! |
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Joseph
Joseph is an adorable two year old boy who loves to "roar" like a dinosaur and absolutely loves tractors and trucks. After struggling to figure out why he was chronically ill, Joseph was diagnosed with gastroparesis in 2017. In the beginning of 2018, he received a G-Tube, has in-home therapy and many hospital visits but still has many struggles. He recently was accepted to the motility clinic at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where he will have more surgeries and tests to see how they can help him.
If you would like to follow Joseph's story and his mom's incredible way of words, his blog is: http://bloomonbaby.blogspot.com/ We blessed this family with the toy pictured above, according to his mom it's what brings a smile to his face after coming home from the hospital! We also gave him and his sister some fun art supplies and gift cards for gas and groceries! Please keep Joseph and his family in your prayers! |
Mav
Maverick was 8 months old on Easter Sunday when he was bitten by a dog in the face. After 5 hours in the Emergency Room at Wyoming County Hospital, he was taken by Mercy Flight to Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio where he spent nearly a week in the hospital and had 2 surgeries. He will need to go back to Ohio monthly & yearly for future surgeries and scar therapy. Mav can’t go into the sunlight, he has to keep his hands away from his face and take frequent medications to ward off infection.
Maria's Sunshine and Dreams Fund provided Mav with a really cool bike that will grow with him till 4 years old, diapers, wipes, toys, books, and gift cards. We also provided a water table as kids enjoy splashing around! Keep Mav in your thoughts as he will be undergoing many scar therapy appointments! Mav has a benefit coming up in June! Be sure to check out his article here: http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/tough-like-mav-a-family-copes-with-a-traumatic-dog-attack-20180423 Photo of Mav provided by Batavia Daily News |
Jameson
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Jameson, a 4 year old boy, has been in and out of doctor offices and hospitals since he was born. He is unable to have a bowel movement without the help of laxatives and enemas.
Jameson's family is raising money to travel to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio at the beginning of 2018. He will see Dr. Levitt who is known around the world for his expertise in helping children with bowel issues. He is a colorectal surgeon. Getting to see Dr. Levitt will give Jameson a chance for answers and a better quality of life. Maria's Sunshine & Dreams Fund was able to spend some time with Jameson and provide him with his own luggage to the hospital as well as toys, games & activities to keep him busy during his travel. We also provided his parents with a gas card to help alleviate some of their expenses for their trip. You can see more of Jameson's story or donate to their family at: https://www.gofundme.com/get-jameson-to-nationwide-hospital |
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Markus is a 12 year old boy who has Acute Kidney Failure.
The doctors at Strong are continuing to do more and more testing but have not yet been able to find the cause of his kidney failure. Right now he is undergoing chemotherapy treatment once a month and getting blood drawn once a week. He has been pulled from school by the specialists for the rest of the school year and has a personal tutor 5 days a week. Maria's Sunshine & Dreams fund provided much needed necessities to this family such as a grocery card and gas card. We also provided Markus with tons of drawing supplies and games as he loves to be creative! If you would like to view more of Markus story or help donate to help alleviate some of his families medial expenses & travel expenses, go to: www.gofundme.com/12-yr-old-marcus-has-kidney-failure |
Markus
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Melina
Melina is a 5 year old highly spirited and loved little girl. She enjoys playing Legos, coloring, play card games and make everyone around her laugh. She loves going to school, playing outside and being a friend to everyone she knows. To meet her you'd never know that has a medical condition called colonic neuropathy. The condition is a GI tract motility disorder that effects her large intestine. Melina struggles to eat and digest food regularly and has daily pain that make it hard for her to live out a normal life. Her small intestine can't keep up with her daily nutritional intake needs and then is primarily dependent on what is called TPN or IV based nutrition. She also has a G-tube that we are slowly suplimenting nutritional with as well. All of these things have presented some struggles but she never gives
up and is determined to live life to it's fullest! We blessed Melina with a basket full of her favorite things... Legos, Peppa Pig coloring books, Disney Princess stories, and more! Her family was also gifted a year membership to the Strong Museum, a fun place to play! 
Hailey
Hailey is a sixth grade student and has been battling cancer since she was 2 years old. In 2009, Hailey had an apple-sized tumor removed from her adrenal gland.
In 2016, Hailey had her seventh surgery to remove part of her lung. “She is a tough little girl,” said her mother. Hailey created The Hearts for Hailey Campaign to help raise funds for those families who need help in paying for parking passes when they go to the hospital. Hearts for Hailey collects can tabs from beer and pop cans and then turns them in at a scrap yard for money. The money is then turned over to CURE who then creates parking passes. You can donate to Hearts for Hailey or collect can tabs and contact them for a drop off at www.facebook.com/Hearts-for-Hailey-611631832269707/ Maria's Sunshine & Dreams Fund gifted a package full of fun gift cards, toys, games and books for Hailey to keep her occupied while in and out of the hospital and doctor's visits. We also recently surprised her with a spa day full of manicures, pedicures and all things girly! |
The Thompson Family
A Thank You from Maria Thompson:
In 2016 the good Lord threw our family a little curveball. I found myself on a ventilator at 23 weeks pregnant with our third child, sick from ARDS. At 26 weeks, still on a ventilator and in a coma, our sweet 1lb 10oz daughter Talia came fighting into this world. She had her first surgery at 2 weeks old and many more procedures that followed. After a 34 day hospital stay for me and a 120 day stay for Talia, our family was finally home and complete. We had weekly appointments at Strong and my children found themselves more/less not knowing if they were coming or going. One day we were sitting home and Andrew brought over some cards and left quickly before I could open them. I could not believe what was inside. Gift cards for both of my girls to have shopping sprees. A gift card for my husband and I to go out to dinner. And a gift card for Talia. All from Maria's Sunshine and Dreams Foundation. My family is beyond grateful for your generosity. My strength was not fully back and taking all three children to the hospital was always a struggle. We used some of the gift cards to buy a multi-child stroller that fit in our van and could easily transport my children safely to and from the parking garage and hospital. The girls enjoyed their much deserved shopping spree and my husband and I went to dinner alone for the first time in several months. Thank you so very much for your generosity and thoughtfulness. God Bless!! Xoxo #teamtalia |
Piper Jae
Sweet Piper Jae was born with several CHDs along with the particularly rare Ebstein's Anomaly. They needed the expertise of Boston Children's Hospital. Her family and her have been through a lot. Aside from the stresses of their Piper Jae's future, there are the growing medical costs. As of April 2018, Piper's doctor stated her heart looks stable but not much growth in her valve which is a disappointment to hear. She’s walking like crazy.... they are headed back to Boston soon for checkups.
We knew that during all of this Piper Jae's mom Gia would want the support of her own mother while going through the initial surgery. Maria's Sunshine and Dreams Fund decided to pay for a flight from Rochester to Boston so she could be with her and offer comfort. We have kept Piper Jae in our prayers and will continue to support her and her family through donations. You can also donate to Piper's GoFundMe account at: https://www.gofundme.com/prayersforpiperjae and follow her story on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PrayersforPiperJae/ |
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Olivia Maniace
Since she was born, Olivia Maniace has learned to live day-by-day with cystic fibrosis. She goes for appointments once or twice a month and is in the hospital at least once or twice a year for a few weeks stay.
She is like any other 18 year old but her daily routine is much different. Her routine consists of taking 40 different pills a day, wearing a therapy vest in the morning and night to shake her lungs and loosen the mucus, and has three nebulizers. Olivia spends a lot of time helping brighten the day of other children battling sickness. She helps connect sick children to various organizations that make packages for them. Maria's Sunshine and Dreams surprised Olivia throughout her many visits to the hospital with fun items that every teen girl would love, inspirational items and giftcards for shopping and coffee! We wanted to cheer her up as Cystic Fibrosis is a daily struggle she faces! If you would like to learn more about Cystic Fibrosis, visit: https://www.cff.org/ You can read more about Olivia's story here: http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/teens-cystic-fibrosis-video-going-viral-20161022 |