Sarah Riccio, 11, of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., is preparing to undergo heart surgery this Thanksgiving. Her family is asking for the community's assistance in order to raise funds for her care. Courtesy photo.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – This year on the day before Thanksgiving, while most people are busy making last minute dinner preparations, 11-year-old Hidden Valley Lake resident Sarah Riccio will be at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford undergoing a high risk, open heart surgery.

Sarah had her first open heart surgery when she was just two days old, and three more surgeries followed in the next 30 days. She has been fighting for her life ever since.

Originally diagnosed with the rare congenital heart defect of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, her left ventricle is severely underdeveloped.

“She is now once again outgrowing the circulation that she currently has,” explained her mother Suzanne Riccio. “Her blood is getting very thick, which impedes the bloods ability to deliver oxygen to her body. Her oxygen saturation levels are dangerously low and the result is extreme fatigue and brain damage.”

According to her parents, the doctors have said that this upcoming surgery is especially high-risk due to the fact that Sarah’s right lung is no longer working.

“We’ve been told we should expect Sarah to be in the hospital for at least 30 days following the surgery,” said her father, David Riccio. “But last time we were told 30 days, it ended up being that she was in the hospital for three months.”

The Riccios have three children and have lived in Hidden Valley Lake for the past 10 years, where they have been actively involved in the community.

Friends of the Riccio family have set up a special Web site, www.everribbon.com/r/sarahsfund, where people can make donations to assist with the overwhelming medical costs of this delicate surgery.

The goal is $5,000; as of Sunday night, nearly $1,300 had been raised, according to the Web site.

For more information visit the Web site or call Carol Luis at 707-987-8757 for more information.

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