Donations and a community working together have risen over $160,000 to help cover the cost of the operation desperately needed by an Amish baby from Cattaraugus County. Amos Hertzler, the 1-year-old son of Aaron and Katieann Hertzler, was born with a rare condition in which his esophagus does not attach to his stomach, called esophageal atresia. Esophageal atresia is a congenital defect of the digestive system where the esophagus fails to develop properly. This prevents food from traveling from the mouth to the stomach, and occurs in about 1 in 4,000 births nationwide.
The most common cases involve the upper esophagus from connecting to the lower esophagus and stomach, and the top end of the lower esophagus connects to the windpipe. Cases of esophageal atresia need to be treated as quickly as possible to avoid potential damage to the child’s lungs due to stomach acid, and so the child can feed properly. The infant could potentially breathe saliva and secretions into the lungs, so care must be taken to keep the lungs clear.
Amos relies on a feeding tube for nutrients, and has a tube in his throat to drain away the accumulating fluids, and major surgery is needed to save the child’s life, with his medical care costing about $250,000. Currently, the child is scheduled to begin a series of complicated surgeries in Mid-December at Children’s Hospital in Boston, a process that could take a several months to complete. The Children’s Hospital in Boston is one of the few facilities in the nation that perform the surgery that would allow Amos to eat without the aid of a feeding tube.
The family plans to travel to Boston either by Amtrak or by car if they can arrange the transport. The Hertzler’s, who are a traditional Amish family, do not have health insurance, since they believe that a family must be self-sufficient, and that as long as the community works together the way they are supposed to, they feel they do not need it. Therefore, they must raise money through donations, charity, and auctions to pay for the procedure.
In Mid-October, the Hertzler’s held an auction at the Cattaraugus County Fair Grounds in Little Valley, with over 2,000 attendants, which raised about $120,000, but are still seeking funds to cover the remaining costs.
Traditional Amish, or Old Order Amish, live according to the principles of rejecting pride, arrogance and haughtiness, and embracing humility. The Amish shy away from drawing attention from the outside world, and avoid newspaper coverage and photographs, since they consider that to be setting them apart and being prideful.
The members of the Amish community can use many modern technologies, but rarely own those technologies themselves. As such, you can often find Amish riding in cars with their “English” or non-Amish neighbors, but you will not find them owning their own car. The Hertzler family has received help from Kaleida Health and care from Women & Children’s Hospital in Buffalo.
Noah Hertzler, the boy’s uncle, said in an interview with the Buffalo News that donations have come from as far away as Florida and Maine, thanks to news coverage. The rest of the money has come from individual donations to the Cattaraugus County Bank’s Amos Hertzler Hospital Fund. Donations can be made to The Amos Hertzler Hospital Fund at the Cattaraugus County Bank, P.O. Box 227, Little Valley, NY 14755.
