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Mia the Heart Warrior Benefit
Ciarra Tavares and Mike Grisback’s Facebook pages are filled with adorable photos and precious moments shared with their two daughters, Jossy, age five, and Mia, 20-weeks-old. The love this Eureka family exudes is moving, but the situation they are facing is near unbearable.
Just a few months ago, after 40 weeks of anticipation, the beautiful Miona “Mia” Grisback made her debut into this world, weighing in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Her dad, Mike, held Mia in his hands, taking in the miracle of his new daughter. Her mom, Ciarra, shared quiet, tender moments with Mia, getting to know her little girl as they worked out their new routine. Jossy, all smiles, took on her role of big sister like a natural. It was perfection.
Until September 2, when then two-day-old Mia was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD). A heart murmur led to an EKG which led to an echocardiogram that revealed a double outlet right ventricle, pulmonary stenosis, and an unbalanced AV canal. Baby Mia’s heart is only half developed, leaving the right side of her heart to do all of the work while her oxygenated blood mixes with unoxygenated blood.
There is no cure or quick fix for Mia’s heart defect. She will require a transplant when she gets older. In the meantime, doctors determined baby Mia would need open heart surgery to survive.
Mia heading off to surgery
On January 1, 2018, Mia, along with her parents, headed down to UCSF for a Glenn Shunt, a relatively routine open-heart surgery for CHD babies. On January 4, 2018, just after 12:00pm, knowing the operation would give their daughter a fighting chance at life, Ciarra and Mike put their little one in the hands of a highly experienced surgical team.
Mia made it through her first surgery like a champ, seemingly on a smooth road to recovery but, days after her operation, complications ensued. The tiny infant’s left lung collapsed while her right lung was retaining fluid. On January 5, 2018, a parent’s worst nightmare occurred. Little Mia, barely four months old, coded and was immediately put on life support. There she remains.
Her parents call her a warrior. Her doctors refer to her as a fighter. She is getting some color back to her skin, her heart is contracting, her numbers are strong. Miona Grisback is a warrior indeed and, yes, she has a fight ahead of her. Her kidneys, brain, and liver have been affected by this ordeal. Her family is calling for a miracle.
As baby Mia fights for her life and her parents stay vigilantly by her side at UCSF Hospital, we their community must rise and act as their support and strength. The cost of travel to and from the bay area, temporary housing, and care for this family’s older child is of current concern, while medical bills are of future concern.
Here are some of the ways to help Mia the Heart Warrior:
Donate to Mia’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/baby-miona-travel-expense
Buy a Drive-Thru Dinner: On Thursday, February 1, in Fortuna, pick up a fully prepared dinner including pulled pork, coleslaw, mac or potato salad, and a brownie. Please purchase presale $10 ticket at Wyckoff’s plumbing (Fortuna), Redwood Thrift (Fortuna),
Bartow’s Jewelers (Fortuna), The Humboldt Corner (Fortuna), Bikini Brews (Eurkea),
State Farm in Henderson Center (Eureka), or Ridgetop Café (Fernbridge)
Buy a Raffle Ticket: Raffle tickets will be sold at the Drive-thru Dinner event and can be purchased by contacting Bonnie Sturlock or Brandy Weller through their Facebook pages. Prizes include a photo session from Keri Messina, gift certificate to Humboldt Sweets, Dinner at Double D’s Steakhouse and much more. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Drawing will be held at the end of the dinner event.
Share Mia’s Story on Social Media: Like and follow Mia’s Facebook support page at https://www.facebook.com/fightformia Share informative fundraising posts and spread the word with the hashtag #fightformia
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