Kisses for Keira

Keira is a miracle. She was born 2 months early, on June 29, 2012 and had to be resuscitated for a full 10 minutes before she could breathe on her own. She had a bowel obstruction, so all her fluid had built up in her abdomen, pressed on her lungs and she couldn't breathe. Amazingly, she was operated on in her NICU isolette because she was not stable enough to transfer to the operating room. Many of the NICU staff say they had never seen a Dr perform surgery in an isolette before!  She was given a colostomy bag and ended up staying in the NICU for 2 months. The day before she was scheduled to go home, her stoma, where her bag connected to her abdomen, had retracted and she needed to go back in for a second surgery. By God's grace, the surgeons were able to put her bowel back together again and now she can have normal bowel movements without a bag!  Something was still wrong though: Every time she ate, she would scream in pain 20 minutes later. As it turned out, she had a paraesophageal hernia. When she was 6 months old, Keira had to go back to the hospital for a third surgery to repair the hernia. Nearly her entire stomach was sliding through a hole in the lining of her abdomen and going up alongside her esophagus. Finally she is without pain and can smile and laugh for the first time. Unfortunately though, from being in the NICU so long, she now needs to wear a helmet, because her head is flat on one side and this pushes her face forward on that side. One diagonal measurement of her head is 13mm different than the other side. This is considered cosmetic and is not covered. Her young parents are newlyweds and have to start their marriage and new family life with $10,000 in medical co-pays and helmet expenses. Please, anything you can spare or find in your heart to give would be helpful and sooo much appreciated. I don't want Keira to have to live a life with an asymmetrical face and head. She already has her abdomen covered in scars and she has had such a traumatic start to life!  Imagine being gutted the day you were born!! Please, let's help this young family and help Keira! God bless you all, Kathleen  xoxo

(Nana)