TOMAHAWK – St. Mary’s School and the family of a student impacted by a heart condition are seeking community support in raising funds for an organization that supports research into the medical condition.
Forrest, a five-year-old student at St. Mary’s, is known for being sweet and kind, always using his manners and sharing a smile with those around him.
Forrest’s mom, Ellen, explained that when she was 22 weeks pregnant with Forrest, doctors discovered that Forrest had a congenital heart defect.
As the pregnancy progressed, so did Forrest’s diagnoses. The family traveled to a Marshfield hospital every two weeks, and weekly for the final four weeks of the pregnancy.
At 39 weeks, Ellen was induced, and Forrest was immediately taken to the Children’s Wisconsin Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Forrest received his first heart catheter at 25 hours old, and he was ultimately diagnosed with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum with RV dependent coronaries.
In March 2020, when he was six years old, Forrest received a heart transplant. Ellen said Forrest sees his cardiology team, Herma Heart, every three to four months and has yearly heart catheter procedures to monitor for rejection and heart function.
After being discharged, Forrest was on 16 medications and received tube feedings. Today, Forrest is on four medications, including a multivitamin, and he no longer has his G-tube.
Ellen said Forrest’s heart “has been doing really well.”
Forrest and his family are seeking to raise funds for Project Bubaloo, an organization that supports congenital heart defect research conducted at Children’s Wisconsin Hospital in Milwaukee.
Project Bubaloo was started by the family of a baby named Theo, who passed away from a congenital heart defect at about six months old.
Ellen noted that two of the doctors on the Project Bubaloo team provide care for Forrest, with one being his surgeon.
“It’s a wonderful project,” she stated.
St. Mary’s Lenten service initiative is aiming to gather financial donations to support Project Bubaloo. Forrest’s family will collect the funds and contribute them to the organization, on behalf of St. Mary’s School.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to not only back this project, but also support one of our own St. Mary’s families,” the school said.
St. Mary’s will accept cash, checks and coins through Thursday, April 17.
For more information, contact St. Mary’s School at 715-453-3542.
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