Community Corner
Baby Raven Returns To Georgia Following Heart Surgery
Raven, the 12-month-old Alpharetta child suffering from a cardiac defect, is now recovering at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
ALPHARETTA, GA -- Nearly a month after she was flown to a New England hospital to undergo a lengthy cardiac procedure, the child who has captured the hearts of north Fulton County residents has returned to Atlanta.
Raven Nell Raines, the 12-month-old baby born with a critical heart defect, landed safely at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston on Tuesday, Dec. 20, grandmother Nell Estes said.
She continues her recovery at the hospital's Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"To have Raven back from Boston was a Christmas gift beyond compare," Estes added. "Ruthie and Mike were told that her time in Boston could be at least 2 months and it was less than 1 month."
Raven's parents made the trip in early December to Boston's Children's Hospital for the child's fourth heart surgery. That surgery, Ruthie Raines said, was a nine-hour, bi-ventricle repair.
Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Recovering has been kind of rough for her," she told Patch right after the procedure. "But she’s doing pretty good considering what kind of surgery it was."
You may remember Baby Raven as the child Alpharetta firefighters rallied around when they made repairs on Nell Estes' home. Raven and her parents, along with older sister Piper, had to move back in with Estes due to the challenges and enormous medical expenses thrust upon the family.
While Raven was stable enough to return to Georgia, the family is still in need of donations, as her father works as a professional truck driver and mover as often as he can.
The HEARTBEATS for RAVEN GoFundMe page has raised just over $5,000 in its quest to provide $40,000 for the family's needs. The family has also utilized a Facebook page to keep the public abreast of the latest in Raven's story.
Raines, who said her daughter's recovery could take months, noted the response so far from the public has been overwhelming, and the family can't thank the community enough for its support.
“We are very very thankful," she added. "The amount of stuff people have done is unreal.”
Images via Nell Estes
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