Izabelle Petersen

I'm Bonnie Yegge and I am a friend of Sydney and Jordan Petersen. I am starting a 'Go Fund Me' page for Sweet Izabelle. I am hoping to defray the costs that the family will be charged starting with Izzy's upcoming jaw distraction surgery planned for this Monday, May 20th. The cost of this surgery and NICU care, before insurance may run up to 2.5 million dollars. Izzy will need at least 2 additional surgeries in the upcoming months by the time she reaches 18 months. The second surgery will be needed to remove the appliance that is adjusting the mandible (jaw), which will occur around 3 months. At 15-18 months the bilateral cleft palate will be repaired. At this time, genetic testing is also recommended and most likely will not be covered by insurance. Extended unpaid maternal leave will also be needed due to Izzy's additional surgeries. Once Izzy returns home following the first surgery, a nurse will need to be hired to make sure that Izzy is receiving the quality care that she needs, as Sydney will be returning to work. As a practicing speech pathologist, I have understanding of the anatomy of this area and have worked with children with cleft lips and palates. Izzy will continue to need medical attention and will initially need feeding therapy provided by a speech pathologist and speech therapy for many years to come to facilitate articulation (speech sound) development. This will be a long road with many medical bills coming in that will not be covered by insurance. Sydney and Jordan have applied for the "health and disability waiver" through the state, but unfortunately, there is a 2 year waiting list. Right now, Jordan and Syd are taking turns and staying with Izzy and are bringing Masyn to stay the weekend at the McDonald House, which they are incredibly grateful for to help defray hotel costs at this time. However, following this first surgery Izzy will be in the Neonatal Unit at Blank 6-8 weeks. I understand that not everyone can assist monetarily, but your prayers and messages will mean so much to Jordan & Sydney and families. Please read Sydney and Jordan's summary of PRS to better understand Izzy's condition and needs. We welcomed our sweet daughter, Izabelle Arlene Petersen on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 12:20am at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. She weighed 6 pounds, 10.5 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She made her entrance into the world after just five hours of labor and three pushes- (She was very eager to meet her Mommy and Daddy!) Quickly after she was born, we realized she was having difficulty breathing and was transferred to Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, where she was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) and a full bilateral cleft palate.  PRS is a rare genetic condition that occurs in 1 out of every 10,000-30,000 births varying on each specific diagnosis.   PRS occurs when a baby has a small lower jaw and set back tongue that blocks the airway and  a cleft palate.  She has a long road to recovery ahead of her with her first surgery on her jaw in the next couple of weeks followed by future surgeries over the course of the next months and year.   We are expecting to be at Blank Children's Hospital- NICU for the next 4-8 weeks.  We will be sharing our updates on Izabelle's journey on this page for our friends and family- in hopes that this will allow us to share updates, photos all in one place, so we can focus on our little girl and  proud big brother Masyn.