Take Me Down to Panama City

Hello all! Please join us as we celebrate and raise money for two year old baby Mariella. We are hosting a “Take me down to Panama City” night of dinner and live music, along with some raffles and prizes. Tickets will cover cost of entry, dinner, dessert, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

During Mariella's birth, she lost oxygen for an extended period of time, causing her to suffer from multiple organ system failure. Her brain wasn't telling her lungs to breathe, her kidneys were failing, she was seizing, and more. After many tears, and even more prayer, doctors made the decision to take out her breathing tube. They did not think she'd make it and we said our goodbyes...and prayed.... a lot. To everyone's surprise, Mariella’s little lungs were able to handle it and she began breathing on her own! This was Mariella's first miracle.

Mariella’s condition is called HIE, which is the medical term for brain damage due to lack of oxygen. While we are happy to see her incredible progress over the last two years, she remains physically and developmentally delayed in many areas. Mariella has trouble keeping her head up, she cannot sit up on her own and does not walk or crawl. She cannot swallow well and isn’t able to eat more than a few crumbs by mouth, and has been on a feeding tube since birth. She is non-verbal and startles easily. She has difficulty with her grasp and controlling certain movements. The list could go on, but essentially, she faces many challenges to leading the life of a typical child.

Through the generosity and open hearts of close to 200 people, we were able to raise enough money for phase 1 of Mariella’s treatments, which is hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This is scheduled to begin at the end of September! The purpose of this event is to raise money so Mariella can undergo Stem cell therapy. After getting all that oxygen to Mariella’s brain tissue to start making new connections, we would like to send her for stem cell treatment in Panama, which has one of the best programs for stem cell therapy in the world. Mesenchymal stem cells promote neuronal growth, new blood vessel growth, activation of glial cells, synaptic connection, axonal re-myelination, and decrease cell death. These are all fancy biology terms, but essentially this treatment will help repair Mariella's brain! Again, it is a costly one, with prices beginning at about $16,000 for the treatment plus airfare, and alas, not covered by insurance.

Once we've completed these this treatment, we hope to send her for intensive physical, neurological, and occupational therapies, likely through the NAPA center, CECO or both. The NAPA center works to incorporate a wide range of therapies into a customized intensive program specific to the needs of the child. The Conductive Education Center of Orlando (CECO) provides a unique, holistic educational approach to help children with motor disabilities achieve their greatest level of independence through physical and cognitive activities. Both of these programs have varying costs, but are about $5,000 each. We’ve heard of lots of positive outcomes resulting from these programs.

Mariella is already a miracle, without a doubt, and we hope to see more miracles happen for Mariella through these treatments. On behalf of my family, we thank you for taking the time to read her story and consider donating.

For more information on Mariella’s condition, visit: https://www.hopeforhie.org/whatishie

For more information on these types of therapy, check out the links below:

https://www.o2oasis.com/neurological/
https://www.cellmedicine.com
https://www.napacenter.org
https://www.ceco.org

If you have any trouble purchasing tickets online, please email your issue and telephone number to jasonb@maingatetickets.com You can also call 713-303-4094 but email will be faster.