Family Raises $27K To Send Sick Baby To Boston Children's Hospital
BOSTON (CBS) -- A five-month-old baby born with a hole in his stomach was flown from New Orleans to Boston Wednesday for special care after his community rallied to get him here.
Little Hayze Hart was born with gastroschisis, a rare birth defect in which the baby's intestines extend outside his stomach through a hole near his belly button.
The baby has already had four surgeries, but at Boston Children's Hospital, there are doctors who specialize in his condition.
"It's very important," said mother Catherine Consolini. "It's pretty much going to be life-saving."
"It's amazing, they were kind of at a dead-end road where he's at, but there's so much more they can do there," said father Devin Hart.
His family said there was a sense of urgency, too--because the boy's liver was failing.
"His eyes were very yellow, green, that means the damage was starting and that can affect other organs and the brain," said Consolini.
Hayze's family launched a GoFundMe page when the baby's insurance denied paying for the cost of an air ambulance to Boston. That page raised more than $27,000 in donations.
The baby's family says they are grateful for the support they received.
"The heartfelt and kindness and the generosity from the entire community, from family, from friends," Consolini said. "We're so grateful to all you guys."
According to that GoFundMe page, mom and baby will spend a while in Boston and return to New Orleans when Hayze is stable--and Hayze will need to return to Boston every two months for at least a few years.