My name is Glenn Anderson and I am the father of Jared Anderson and father-in-law of his wife, Juanita. I am setting up this gofundme campaign to help offset the funeral expenses for their infant son, Joseph Michael Anderson. During Juanita’s pregnancy we came to refer to the baby as “Baby Joey”.

This is the second baby boy they have lost in a little over two years. They lost Jared Lee Anderson on March 20, 2014 due to a miscarriage in her 13th week. She had a troubled pregnancy from the very beginning, but we hoped and prayed that “Little Jared” would somehow make it all the way to delivery. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Even though Jared and Juanita wanted to bury him, he was just too small and burying him was not really feasible, so they had him cremated and have kept his ashes in a small blue urn in their bedroom.

They struggled for almost two years to have another baby. And in January 2016 they were finally successful in their attempts to conceive another baby. This pregnancy progressed without any problems until Wednesday evening, June 1st. The baby was almost 22 weeks along. She had no pain or contractions, but she noticed that there was some discharge, which is not uncommon for pregnant women. In the morning they decided to call the doctor to make certain all was well with the baby. After explaining what had occurred the previous evening they were instructed to go to the ER where the doctor would meet them and examine Juanita and make certain the baby was fine.

Upon examination, the doctor discovered that Juanita had developed an incompetent cervix and that she had already dilated 4-5 cm and that the amniotic sac had begun to protrude about an inch to one and a half inches through the cervix. The doctor explained that there was nothing they could do to correct what was happening as she was too far along in her pregnancy. Juanita was too dilated and her cervix was too soft to sew shut. To attempt to push the sac back through the cervix could possibly rupture the sac and attempting to sew the cervix closed could lead to an infection, neither of which would be good for the baby and Juanita.

Even though the baby’s heartbeat was strong and that there was still quite a bit of amniotic fluid in the sac the doctor told them that the prognosis was not good. She told them that the baby would probably be born within the next day or two. Because he was only 22 weeks in the womb he would not survive outside the womb. He needed to be at least 24 weeks along before they could attempt any lifesaving procedures. He was too small and fragile for chest compressions and his lungs were not developed enough to attempt to intubate him for a respirator.

On June 4, 2016, Baby Joey was born at 10:17 AM. He was perfect and beautiful. There was nothing wrong with him. It was just a sad set of circumstances that led to his miscarriage. Little Joey went to Heaven at 1:20 PM. We had him in our lives for just three hours.

Words cannot fully describe the depth and breadth of sorrow we have experienced, as a family, from such a tragic and devastating loss. For Jared and Juanita, the loss of their second son in just over two years is cruelly excruciating and soul crushing beyond description. You will not find two finer young people than my son and his precious wife. They would make the most wonderful parents in the world.

We ask for your help in covering the cost of funeral expenses as they are a single income family. Juanita has been physical disabled from birth and unable to work, so Jared is the sole provider. Their available funds for Baby Joey’s burial are extremely limited after paying for all of their regular expenses of daily living.

No donation amount is too small and will be greatly appreciated. Of course, my wife and I and Juanita’s parent will help defray some of the cost, but Juanita’s parents and my wife and I are both living off social security and my wife’s part time job, so our available funds are also limited.

The $5,500 campaign goal includes the cost to bury the urn with the remains of Little Jared with his brother, Baby Joey. Jared and Juanita would like to have the boys be together, where they can visit them both at the cemetery.

Unfortunately, the mortuary and cemetery fees must be paid in advance before Jared and Juanita can lay both of their little boys to rest, so they desperately need your assistance. They are hoping to be able to have the funeral and burial sometime next week. Longer delays would only contribute to additional emotional stress to an already unbearable situation.

Any funds that come in beyond the $5,500 goal will be donated to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to aid in finding treatments to defeat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

I wish to thank you in advanced for any financial assistance you can provide for this sweet, God fearing, young couple. As I mentioned earlier, no amount is too small. Jared and Juanita just want to have a proper burial for their little guys and be able to visit them often, especially on their birthdays. Your help will go a long way in bringing them much needed and well deserved peace and comfort.

Thank you and God bless you!

Sincerely,

Glenn Anderson