Spending Time With Grace
Donation protected
Two months ago we had an ultrasound of our second child (Grace Elizabeth Kelsey). After the doctors reviewed the images, they called to tell us that she had a minor heart defect (a hole in her heart) and that it was quite common. They scheduled us for a second ultrasound to be sure of their diagnosis.
On the second ultrasound they determined it was not as common as they thought, that Grace had a condition called TGA (Transposition of the Greater Arteries). This is a rare condition where the vessels are swapped. One out of every 20,000 babies have this. This condition would normally require an open heart surgery at birth and after that Grace should be ok. This prompted the doctors to send us for an echo cardiogram to get a better look at her heart.
This time they determined that not only does Grace have TGA but she also has a right ventricle that does not function and will never function. She will now need 3 open heart surgeries. One when she is born, one at 4-6 months and one at 2 years old.
Naturally you would think I'd be setting this up to help cover the many medical bills we'll receive over time but that is not why I made this gofundme. I made this for my wife, the greatest woman I know.
Pennsylvania maternity leave is not in any way like NJ. The first week of maternity leave has to be your whole week of sick time for the year (so hopefully she won't need any sick time the rest of the year). Then, you only receive 60 percent of your pay for 5 weeks (and that's only if you pay into short term disability insurance). After 6 weeks, Kelly has to take any earned vacation time she has saved up, which is only a week or two. So she can basically only get 7-8 weeks of leave with some pay.
Honestly I think any mother should have 10-12 weeks minimum when her child is born and have this funded through the state. My wife discussed with me how important it was that she takes a full 10-14 weeks needed to take care of Grace, especially with her condition. We had talked about this and I had no answers for her. I felt horrible that I didn't make more money to give her the time she needs. I didn't know financially how we could pay all of our regular bills, the medical bills and find time to have her take an additional 4-6 weeks off without her being paid.
The money donated would cover an additional 4-8 weeks of her being home with Grace. Giving her 10 to 14 weeks with Grace as opposed to 6. We had money set aside for this originally but the medical bills are more than we anticipated and the funds we had set aside have all been used to cover them. Regardless if this page helps or not I know in the long run things will work out. I appreciate anyone who can donate or even share the link in hopes that we can reach the goal. As my wife says "GOD always provides".
On the second ultrasound they determined it was not as common as they thought, that Grace had a condition called TGA (Transposition of the Greater Arteries). This is a rare condition where the vessels are swapped. One out of every 20,000 babies have this. This condition would normally require an open heart surgery at birth and after that Grace should be ok. This prompted the doctors to send us for an echo cardiogram to get a better look at her heart.
This time they determined that not only does Grace have TGA but she also has a right ventricle that does not function and will never function. She will now need 3 open heart surgeries. One when she is born, one at 4-6 months and one at 2 years old.
Naturally you would think I'd be setting this up to help cover the many medical bills we'll receive over time but that is not why I made this gofundme. I made this for my wife, the greatest woman I know.
Pennsylvania maternity leave is not in any way like NJ. The first week of maternity leave has to be your whole week of sick time for the year (so hopefully she won't need any sick time the rest of the year). Then, you only receive 60 percent of your pay for 5 weeks (and that's only if you pay into short term disability insurance). After 6 weeks, Kelly has to take any earned vacation time she has saved up, which is only a week or two. So she can basically only get 7-8 weeks of leave with some pay.
Honestly I think any mother should have 10-12 weeks minimum when her child is born and have this funded through the state. My wife discussed with me how important it was that she takes a full 10-14 weeks needed to take care of Grace, especially with her condition. We had talked about this and I had no answers for her. I felt horrible that I didn't make more money to give her the time she needs. I didn't know financially how we could pay all of our regular bills, the medical bills and find time to have her take an additional 4-6 weeks off without her being paid.
The money donated would cover an additional 4-8 weeks of her being home with Grace. Giving her 10 to 14 weeks with Grace as opposed to 6. We had money set aside for this originally but the medical bills are more than we anticipated and the funds we had set aside have all been used to cover them. Regardless if this page helps or not I know in the long run things will work out. I appreciate anyone who can donate or even share the link in hopes that we can reach the goal. As my wife says "GOD always provides".
Organizer
Bradford Kelsey
Organizer
Berlin Township, NJ
