ALPHARETTA, GA — Raven Nell Raines, the 3-year-old Alpharetta girl who’s been bravely fighting heart complications her whole life, recently returned to Atlanta from Boston with her parents from having her fifth open-heart surgery. Through her struggles, “Baby Raven,” as she’s known, shows buckets of joy with her infectious smile.
Baby Raven, who celebrated her third birthday on Monday, Dec. 10, continues to smile as she battles critical congenital heart defects along with multiple other medical issues. “Raven is engaging and loves people. She is truly a miracle child and prayers for her continue to be answered in amazing ways,” her grandmother, Nell Estes told Patch.
She’s making a strong recovery from the surgery, Estes said. “It was an extremely difficult trip for Raven and her parents, who both became very ill themselves and also contended with extreme winter weather. The dedication that Raven’s parents demonstrate through continuing extenuating circumstances is exemplary.”
Their 24-day trip to work with top cardiologists at Boston Children’s Hospital came to a close on Feb. 8 when they arrived back in Atlanta. “To see Raven and her sister Piper together again was priceless!” Estes said.
“The joy that Raven consistently shows is inspirational beyond compare. Everyone loves Raven!” Estes said.
Amid the challenges, she’s making great progress. Raven can now feed herself pureed foods, walk with a posterior walker and can communicate with one- and two-syllable words.
Mike and Ruthie, Raven’s parents, mostly have Raven’s medical bills covered by disability insurance, but the bills have still been quite high. The couple has had to move in with Estes and her husband, Joe, long-time Alpharetta residents. In 2016, Alpharetta firefighters joined forces to update the Estes house, installing new appliances and taking on other projects.
See Baby Raven’s story on Patch:
The community is still encouraged to follow Baby Raven’s story on Facebook. Raven and her family continue to appreciate help with tax-deductible gifts payable to Intentional Legacy (place Raven’s name in the memo line for checks) and mail to: 205 Nacoochee Dr., Woodstock 30009. Donations can also be made on the Heartbeats For Raven GoFundMe page.
All money goes directly to Raven’s care and there are no management fees, Estes said.
For more information you can email Elizabeth at [email protected].
Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.
Photo credit: all provided by Nell Estes
Click Here: Cardiff Blues Store