Millbrook toddler faces heart surgery

MILLBROOK, AL (WSFA) - Inside a home in Millbrook you'll find 2-year-old Maddox Lolley and his mom, Hannah Brooks. Both spent time together Friday morning and all was well.. except for one thing.

"Basically, the valve is narrow and it's leaky," said Maddox's mom Hannah Brooks.

Maddox has a congenital heart issue. Mitral Valve Stenosis is a narrowing of a valve.

"They heard a murmur and they sent us to a cardiologist just to be safe and they found it then," she said.

Hannah hopes the journey will come to an end when Maddox undergoes surgery to replace the valve. Brooks and her husband have insurance, but they are certain it won't cover some of the other expenses such as the $3,500 hotel bill awaiting them when it's all over. The family has already conducted a t-shirt drive which has raised about $2,500.

"Everything that's raised is going towards travel and medical bills," she said.

The surgery is set for mid-April in Boston Children's Hospital and once it's completed, Maddox will need to stay there for at least 14 days.

"Making sure that valve, if they do repair, that it goes well and it doesn't fail," said Brooks.

Maddox is oblivious to what kind of surgery he's in for.

"Kids are incredibly strong," she said.

Brooks is counting on faith, friends and the skilled hands of the surgeon to pull Maddox through, along with a healthy dose of a mother's love. According to the American Heart Association, this kind of surgery, without insurance, would cost a family a minimum of $80,000.

Here are a couple of websites to check out if you're interested in helping the family defray some of those costs related to Maddox's surgery:

• bonfire.com/mighty-maddox-2/
• gofundme.com/mighty-maddox

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