Boy dealing with rare skin condition gets thousands in donations to help with his surgery

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A 7-year-old Las Vegas boy and his family are getting some extra help for a life-changing surgery later this summer.

Carter has been dealing with a couple of rare skin conditions that he was born with.

His mother, Shai Bresee, said he was born with two rare skin conditions called lamellar ichthyosis and ectropion. He has also been diagnosed with autism.

Carter has not been able to close his eyelids since he was born. He has to sleep with his eyes open.

But Bresee said they are planning to travel to San Diego in July for Carter to get skin graft surgery on his eyelids so he can hopefully close them for the very first time.

Carter’s surgery and care in California are going to cost a lot of money, but Bresee said they don’t have to worry too much about that, thanks to the outpouring of support they have received.

The single mother started a GoFundMe for Carter’s surgery with an original goal of $8,000.

Fast-forward a few weeks later and the fundraising efforts have paid off with more than $40,000 in donations.

“He has been telling me how grateful he is, and we can’t take this for granted because all these people are helping us. He is so smart and so aware,” Bresee said. “We will have the means to keep him comfortable and not worry about the bills.”

After surgery, Carter will need to recover for more than a month while spending most of his time inside.

When he does get to go outside, it can’t be for too long unless he is wearing a cooling vest.

Carter said he is doing the best he can to deal with the circumstances life has given him.

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