Account aids local youngster

SANDPOINT — It’s been a tough go for Keldon Ridley in his first few days of life.

Not even a month old, Keldon was born on July 1 only to be hit by a life-threatening heart defect by July 9. That day, his parents experienced a moment of terror when their newborn child began crying and eventually grew pale. After rushing Keldon to Sagle Fire District headquarters, the infant was air-lifted by Life Flight to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital in Spokane.

The quick action likely saved his life. Keldon was immediately prepped for emergency surgery. Doctors soon discovered that the aorta in Keldon’s heart wasn’t sufficiently carrying blood due to a narrowing of the vessel.

“His heart started to fail and that results in respiratory failure,” said Keldon’s mother, Carrie Ridley.

Surgeons at Providence were able to fix the problem with an emergency thoracotomy that improved blood flow throughout Keldon’s body. Now that he’s back home, he’s improved significantly.

According to Ridley, the sudden heart failure was caused by a congenital defect that led to irregular aorta development. The problem went undetected until just over a week after his birth because unborn babies’ blood circulates through the heart through special ducts, she said. These ducts then close up several days after birth. Keldon’s problem started when his heart went through its standard developmental stages and his aorta was supposed to take over the job, Ridley said.

“It really was terrifying,” she said. “It was a very scary situation.”

Now that he’s back home, Keldon is doing fine. However, the bills from his medical emergency are beginning to pile up. The Life Flight helicopter services alone cost $2,900, and it’s still unclear what Ridley and her husband, Erik Ridley, will have to pay out-of-pocket for the surgery.

“At this point, we don’t know what insurance will cover and not cover,” she said.

A few supportive locals have stepped up to help the family through the crisis. One individual opened a benefit account at Mountain West Bank. Anyone can drop by the bank and place a donation to help pay off those bills.