At one point in our lives, we are all faced with a situation where the only option is to just “make things work.” This could not be more true when it comes to our children—we always find a way to make things work.
For Morgan and Samantha Hempsted, making things work no matter the cost has always been the priority ever since their son, Kingston, was born.
Kingston, or King for short, was born with Apert Syndrome with multiple congenital abnormalities. Apert Syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by skeletal abnormalities where most bones were fused in utero. One of the key features of Apert Syndrome is the premature closure of bones of the skull, known as craniosynostosis.
Over four years, King has had nearly 20 different surgeries with many more expected throughout his life. These upcoming surgeries include some of the most intensive such as a midface advancement and skull rebuild.
In 2019, he was rushed into emergency surgery for a tracheostomy, which he still has for breathing support. Now, every three months King has to make the way from Penticton to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver to have surgery on his tracheostomy as granuloma and scar tissue impede his airway.
King has required full-time care since he was born, with someone staying with him throughout the night to monitor his breathing and equipment. King’s father, Morgan took a step back from his business career in the film industry to care for King and his older brother (and best friend), Tizer.
Although the family does qualify for overnight nursing support, due to the shortage of nurses in their area, they often go without support. Morgan and Samantha often take turns staying up through the night with King.
Samantha, who also works in the film industry as a makeup artist, became their sole income provider although due to the pandemic, work became non-existent.
The last few years have been hard for the Hempsted’s, and although they continue to make it work for their family, we wanted to ease a bit of their burden and take care of something for them.
In January, we provided a cheque to help cover their housing payment, before King was scheduled into his next surgery in February. We know this family has remained incredibly strong for the last few years, and we hope that our donation helped provide some relief from life’s daily stresses.
“THANK YOU for your wonderful email. I can assure you it was received with much happiness and gratitude. Again, THANK YOU so much!”
-- Samantha