On Saturday, fire departments from all around Long Island gathered for a spaghetti dinner to raise funds for 10-month-old Hudson Moran — the son of two volunteer firefighters Tom and Jackie Moran — who was born with Vacterl syndrome.
Vacterl syndrome impacts several parts of his body and as a result, has already undergone multiple surgeries. Due to the complexity of his medical conditions, he will require more procedures in the future.
Hudson is also on an oxygen system at home and requires numerous support devices to help him grow.
“Each letter is an acronym for a different part of the body that stands for different anomalies. or abnormalities,” Jackie Moran said of the disease.
Due to the complexity of this disease, his mom, Jackie, has been unable to return to work as a Suffolk County FRES 911 dispatcher — and there were fears she wouldn’t be able to do so.
“I have a couple more months to make that decision,” Jackie Moran told the Press. “I hope I’m able to return but it all depends on the prognosis for Hudson at that time.”
Hudson’s father, Tom, also used to work as a dispatcher before going over to the union side.
Having both dedicated their lives to service — Jackie in the Holtzville Fire Department, and Tom in the Farmingville Fire Department — this spaghetti dinner was a chance for other firefighters to give some of that service back to the Morans in support of their son.
The event was held in Farmingville — but Jackie Moran told the Press that fire departments as far as Freeport participated.
“I would say between 400 and 600 people attended,” Jackie Moran said. “I want to say we raised about $35,000.”
Regardless of whether or not Jackie is able to return to work, this money has given them the breathing room to pay for Hudson’s surgeries as well as allow Jackie to be there for him at all times.
“It definitely takes a weight off of our shoulders,” she said. “Just the fact that we have this financial relief — I can make sure that I’m with him for everything, and we’re not holding anything medical up, because I have to work.”
The fundraiser also featured a Chinese auction and raffle.
If you missed Hudson’s fundraiser, you can still donate to his GoFundMe.
