A fundraiser for 19-week-old Tate Thompson will be held at The Hole Thing donuts on Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 a.m. until noon. Tate was born three months early on April 3, 2013, and doctors believed he had a birth defect known as omphalocele.
Omphalocele is a birth defect in which the infant's intestines or other organs protrude through the abdominal wall, often by way of the belly button. Tate was born with this intestines inside his body but was now experiencing other birth defects. His bowel was dilating rapidly and doctors feared it would rupture.
After a discovery surgery, doctors determined he had ten atresiases in his small intestines. Atresias are blockages or absence of portions of the intestine. After undergoing four more reconstructive surgeries at the Medical Center of Plano, doctors told Tate's parents they believe Tate's only option would be to undergo an intestine transplant.
As they prepare for the transplant, Tate's parents are now battling medicaid's refusal to cover the transplant. In a post on Tate's Triumph Facebook page, a page created to follow Tate's story, a representative from Governor Perry's office has returned a letter of assistance stating they would investigate the claim.
Tate and his mother, Ember Thompson, will transfer to a hospital in Indiana where he will wait on a transplant list for a small intestine. Thompson says the waiting list could take anywhere from six to eight weeks. Tate might also need a liver transplant and that waiting list could be a year or longer.
Tate, his mother, father Steven Thompson, and two siblings live in Forney. “We are just so thankful for all the support we've received from the community and our church, it has been overwhelming,” said Ember Thompson.
The Hole Thing donuts will be selling Tate's Twists and Tater Tot Fritters to help Tate's family with the medical expenses. All proceeds and tips go to the family for the medical expenses.
“Forney citizens have already responded with donations for Tate even before our official fundraiser starts this weekend. We are blessed to live in a community that cares so much about its residents,” said Katie Vrana, owner of The Hole Thing.
Saturday and Sunday, August 17-18, 2013
The Hole Thing Donuts and Treats
571 South FM 548 Suite 128
Forney, Texas 75126