Supporting Baby Roy and Alannah through cranial surgery and a heart attack

Roy was born on 9 September 2024 and unexpectedly diagnosed with a cranial condition called sagittal craniosynostosis when he was only 8 weeks old. Craniosynostosis is generally completely random and affects 1/2000-3000 births.

While Roy grew in Alannah’s belly his skull (his sagittal suture specifically) fused which caused him to develop a long narrow head. Babies skull plates normally have flexible un-fused joints to allow the brain and skull to grown rapidly in the early years. However, Roy’s skull had to compensate for where it was fused and grew incorrectly. Before xmas he had his first surgery to help correct this and their brave wee man coped remarkably well. He now has to go to Wellington for a second major surgery on 20 March to re-shape his skull.

Unfortunately, to add to this, last week 11 March Alannah suffered a heart attack from an event called SCAD (spontaneous coronary artery dissection) where a tear in her artery wall resulted in blood flow being blocked to her heart, causing in heart damage. It has been determined that stress caused this.

As you can imagine, it has been a nightmare for this young family. They never like to ask for help but are always helping others, so now it’s time for us to rally together. Finances are the last thing they need to be worried about right now, any and all contributions will be so appreciated.