Lily Dahl's heart surgery campaign

I am asking for your support on behalf of Lily Dahl. I am Lily's Grandmother, Dawn. Lily was born May 31st missing two heart valves which created the need for close to 4 weeks in the hospital far from home. Update: physicians will also be building a wall currently missing in the center of her heart...

Here is the major difficulty:

• Lily was born with multiple heart defects
  
• Lily's family lives on an island in Hawaii that does not have a hospital with specialized instruments and facilities for teeny tiny hearts that newborn and small children need along with skilled pediatric cardilolgists.

Before 6 months of age (when congestive heart failure begins for this condition), the family: Lily, her mother and possibly her father and two year old sister will need to fly to Portland OR  and stay for her recovery where pediatric surgeons are skilled and practiced at open heart surgeries and have the required facilities. (SCARY for grandmothers to think about) This is just one of the needs that exist for Lily but it is the most pressing and will arrive the soonest.

What We Need

Here are the biggest needs:

We would like to support the kids  with money (ok they are 30 year olds...I shouldn't call them kids lol) past the amounts we, as family have each pledged, to get Lily to the mainland and for the family to have ways to get around. We think there is a Ronald McDonad House available but if all rooms are taken we will have to make other plans.

Although the family planned for Mom to have time off from work to attend to Lily, the needs have swamped their budget and the month in the hospital after her birth set them back financially. There will be more of the same in the next few months with only a short time for work and recovery.

A trip to the mainland was NOT anywhere in their plans and in addition Lily must be flown from Big Island, Hawaii to Manoa, Oahu monthly until her surgery, for assessments by the doctors there and probably for some time after.

The Impact

• If you have had a sick or special needs child in your life you have valuable insight the kids need and we hope you will encourage them with ideas as well as any funds you may contribute. Every dollar and word of encouragement counts.  
• As a fund raiser for Florida Children's charities I am aware of the toll on family life and impact on finances brought on by a need like this. It's killing me to sit here on the East Coast but fund raising is my contribution. If you are moved but cannot contribute please consider helping me get the word out.
• Anyone who can donate airline miles please contact me at here at Indiegogo and we will get a plan going. I am aware of United, Hawaiian and possibly soon Southwest although I'm not sure that's in place yet

Other Ways You Can Help

If you cannot contribute right now, prayers, encouragement and publicity about the need is most valuable as the time is short:

• Please Pray! As you send the link around please pause to pray for Lily and her parents as well as her sister who has been without her parents for the first time in her short life.
• Exciting news! If you know or are a Marine art collector we have been given the go ahead to offer copies of the dolphin painting "Side By Side" of a mother and baby dolphin for a larger donation.  A smaller size giclee is available for a one thousand dollar donation and a larger size for two thousand.  The giclee is sent rolled in a tube for you to have framed the way you want. (Any negotiation within those amounts are possible as well)