Angel Fund Donors Lift Baby Fighter

When Navee Kuiper came into the world, she brought an extra chromosome and a congenital heart defect known as AVSD.

“It was terrifying,” her mother, Jourdyn Schmidt, said.

At just 5 months old, Navee needed heart surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Complications after her heart surgery meant the expense of an extra week in the city.

Donors to Benefis Foundation’s Angel Fund helped Navee and her parents afford the trip to Washington. The program provides grants for families that must travel for children’s medical treatment.

“Navee was diagnosed at birth. We had saved for her birth, but the rest of this was all unexpected,” Jourdyn said.

Without the surgery, Navee faced congestive heart failure as she grew.

Now she’s thriving.

“She has a cheesy smile and has found her voice,” Jourdyn said. “She’s rolling everywhere and working on crawling and sitting up. She’s a little chunkster – with a working heart, which is amazing. Everything is looking great.”

Navee’s father, Mike Kuiper, and Jourdyn shared their gratitude for Angel Fund donors, who help parents such as them through the challenges that follow a child’s serious medical diagnosis.

“It is nice knowing that Benefis Foundation helps out with that. It was unexpected and it gave us a little bit of relief knowing we had that help,” Jourdyn said. “It’s a great thing for families in need.”

You can support families who must travel for a child’s medical treatment with your contribution to Angel Fund or the Angel Fund endowment. Gifts of $1,500 or more to the endowment can qualify for the Montana Endowment Tax Credit. Click here to support these young patients.