Heartwarming health history for Rangely girl

RANGELY — When she was 5 weeks old, Alivia Green had open heart surgery to repair a narrowing of the aorta.
Now, 16 months old, she has had 14 surgeries and been in and out of the hospital for much of her young life.
A chili benefit dinner was held Jan. 30 during a basketball game at Rangely High School to raise money for Alivia’s medical expenses.
“It went really well,” said Bethany Green, Alivia’s mom. “The generosity has been amazing.”
Alivia, too, is doing better, her mom said.
“She’s doing well,” Bethany said. “As of right now, everything is looking good, so no surgeries scheduled.”
Bethany, who is a single parent, is grateful for the support she has received from the community as well as from her church.
“The church where I attend, Grace Baptist, has been wonderful,” Bethany said.
Thad Noyes is pastor of Grace Baptist.
“First of all, I want to thank Christ for his grace in their lives,” Noyes said. “We are, as a church, above all things a family, and we want to love each other. It’s been our desire to show that love in any way that we can.”
Bethany’s family — parents Steve and Vivian, sister Danna and brother Zach — have provided a support system as well.
“I am living with my parents, which is helping me out until I finish school,” Bethany said.
A 2002 Rangely High School graduate, Bethany is taking online classes through the University of Phoenix. She plans to finish school in about a year and a half and become an elementary school teacher.
Last Friday, Bethany took Alivia to Children’s Hospital in Denver for a checkup.
“They have really good pediatric neurosurgeons,” Bethany said of the care Alivia has received at the hospital. “(The checkup) went well. The doctors were really pleased with how she’s doing. We don’t have to go back for six months or so.”
Vivian Green, Bethany’s mother, accompanied her to Denver for Alivia’s checkup, along with Bethany’s sister, Danna.
“She’s doing really well,” Vivian said of Alivia. “Her appointment was excellent. The doctors are encouraged with the way everything is healing up.”
But there have been some trying times.
“It’s not an easy thing to go through,” Vivian said. “But at least we’re there to support each other. We trust all of the doctors. They have been really good. They have answered all of the thousands of questions we have had.”
Vivian works in the office at Rangely High School, and husband Steve works for EnCana. Both employers have been supportive.
“Both have been the same way, saying whatever you need to do, you do,” Vivian said.
When Alivia was about 2 months old, she had a shunt inserted to drain fluid off of her brain.
“She has what is called Dandy-Walker,” Bethany said of her only child. “There are different degrees of it, and hers is really slight.”
Dandy-Walker Syndrome, according to a Web site for the Dandy-Walker Alliance, is a congenital brain malformation movement and the fluid-filled spaces around it.
“It doesn’t allow brain fluid to flow naturally, like it should,” Bethany said.
Despite the health issues Alivia has had, she is making good progress developmentally.
“There is a chance she might have slow motor skills,” Bethany said. “But right now she is on target. All of her development has been right on. To look at her you wouldn’t know she has had any surgeries.”