Hi my name is Jeanne Jenkins and I'm Ley O'Connor's best friend, at least that is what she tells me. She is going to kill me for this, but she needs your help if possible. She has been out and in town for the last few weeks trying to get the funding and blood donors for her grandaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Bryan. I have been here helping with the grandchildren and her dogs. I have also tried to keep her in touch with her e-mail. To explain Sarah, her other grandaughter, Alexis, has told me that most of the information is in the gene. program, So I'll just copy it onto this page. " Sarah was born with Transposition of the Greater vessels, Left ventricle, with a very large venticular septal defect and atrial septal defect and pulmonary stenosis and had to have experimental emergency surgery at 9 days of age.This defect is very rare. It is not heiretitary, just one of those thing. She will have to have a aortic valve replacement several times during her growth periods. Sarah Elizabeth Bryan was born on February 15, 1993 at home with a midwife in attendance. Also there was her father, Martin and Grandmother, Beverley K. O'Connor. In the afternoon of her 3rd day, February 17th, the midwife (Andrea Dixon, CNM) came by to check on Chari and Sarah and heard a heart murmur on the baby. " The above only tells part of the story. Sarah was born with a defect that only happens 1 in 5, 000,000 babies. She was not expected to live a week. The surgery done on her at 9 days was experimental and only God knew whether it would work or not. The above defect is only part of the problems with Sarah's heart. That's the only part that had a name. Sarah was not expected to live more than a few months, but in Feb of this year the family celebrated Sarah's 6th birthday. This past winter Sarah has been going downhill and her mouth, fingers and toes are always blue and she is always napping and resting. This past week and May 3rd she has been having heart catherizations to determine what is going on and what will be needed besides replacing her aortic valve. To make this long story shorter When Sarah had her surgery at 9 days of age, they used 97 pints of blood at a cost of $70. a pint. Here is where you can help. If any of you are able to give blood for Sarah's surgery, scheduled right now for mid June, to replace her aortic valve and attempt to close up some of the rest of the holes in the heart the family would be most appreciative. They expect to need at least 100 pints. She will be on the heart-lung machine for about 8 hours estimated. Ley's dog clubs have always been helpful and are having a blood drive next week. They hope to raise about 25 pints. But any Red Cross Blood Center anywhere can do this and credit the blood to Sarah. You do not need to be her blood type. The information for donation is for: Sarah Elizabeth Bryan at University of San Francisco Hospital UCSF Hospital. San Francisco, California. Thank you for any consideration and your help. This will my goodbye letter as Ley should be home tomorrow for a few days and she will find out about this and I will probably be buried next week. Thank God she finished my Gene a few years back. Jeanne Jenkins % [email protected] And thank you Alexis for helping me with this and how this computer stuff works. G-ma Jeanne