Helping Out Jon

Three years ago, Jon Barber was born missing the right chamber in his heart. This condition is called Tricuspid atresia. This little man had three surgeries in Seattle before he was even six months old. He is scheduled for surgery again on July 13th at the Children’s Hospital in Denver Colorado. Tricuspid atresia is a heart defect present at birth in which the tricuspid valve between two of the heart’s chambers isn’t formed. Instead, there’s solid tissue between the chambers, which restricts blood flow and causes the right lower heart ventricle chamber to be underdeveloped. This condition is estimated to occur in approximately 1 per 10,000 live births. Treatment for this condition combines medicine, surgery, and cardiac catheterization to improve the flow of blood to the lungs. Jon is looking at having this catheter procedure and then if that looks good then open-heart surgery. This story came to my attention a couple of weeks ago when I saw a Facebook post from Jon’s grandmother Joetta Bacon Wetzsteon, daughter of Judy and Ted Bacon. She was advertising knotted double-sided fleece blankets for sale hand made by her and her daughter Danielle Meredith. She noted on the post that all proceeds would go towards Jon’s upcoming surgery. Joetta and her daughter will need to be in Denver before July 13th. After Jon’s surgery they will need to stay there for at least three weeks as Jon heals. Danielle and Joetta are raising funds to help with the expenses of their stay there to be with Jon. Small blankets are one-yard length at $25 each and a two-yard blanket is just $40, both sizes are double sided blankets. They also make custom blankets. Jon will turn three on July 19th. If you can help out, there is a Go Fund Me page on Facebook called Jon’s Medical Fundraiser, created by Joetta or you can send donations to Joetta Wetzsteon, 140 Tuke Lane, Twin Bridges, MT 59754. If you have questions about blanket colors or patterns, you can reach Joetta at 406-842-7548 home, or cell is 406-310-9257. https://www.facebook.com/donate/3139829442726727/?fundraiser_source=external_url