Surrey family hosts fundraiser for baby's surgeries

SURREY — Eight-month-old Emma Reid was born with a rare congenital disorder that causes the skull, face, hands and feet to be malformed.

Emma inherited Apert Syndrome from her mother, Ashlee, who has a spontaneous form of the disorder. There is a 50 per cent probability of  the disorder being passed on from parent to child.

Emma landed on the receiving end and will have to undergo invasive reconstructive surgeries until about the age of 20. That’s why the Reids are trying to raise funds to send the otherwise happy baby, along with her mom and dad, to Toronto to be treated.

“Emma is a wonderful, happy, extraordinary baby who may look a bit different but at the end of the day, it’s just the packaging,” Ashlee Reid, Emma’s mother, told the Now.

Ashlee struggled with Apert Syndrome growing up, often feeling bullied and undergoing surgeries at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto every few years until the age of 19.

“Growing up, I was teased and bullied because of my differences and if I hadn’t gone through any of that, it wouldn’t make me the person I am today,” said Ashlee.

Ashlee said her experiences with the doctors who operated on her as a teen were wonderful, which is why she wants Emma to share the same doctors.

“It’s the comfort level,” she says of her past surgeons in Toronto who are still practicing at the SickKids Hospital. “They’re like family.”

The Reids are holding two different fundraisers: a pub night that will see funds raised through ticket sales, raffle draws and more, and an online crowd-funding campaign that will help them realize their $5,000 goal.

You can help send the Reids to Toronto by attending the pub fundraiser on July 12 at New Westminster’s Dublin Castle pub. You can also make a donation through the Reids' online fundraising page here.