Hello, my name is Kaitlyn Stanley, and I truly appreciate you taking a moment to read my family's story.
My family and I have had an extremely hard and unpredictable year. Starting out with many complications during my high-risk pregnancy (large utrauterine subchorionic hemorrhage present for a good amount of my pregnancy, having Covid twice while pregnant and fetal abnormalities seen by my doctor). My 15-year-old son became very ill and was hospitalized due to a very rare infection in his blood, face, right eye and his brain. He has finally recovered and is infection free but is dealing with aftereffects that have happened because of his illness. He is also being homeschooled now because he missed 4 months of instruction time and was so far behind. In the midst of what was all going on, our daughter Penny decided that she needed to make her appearance 3 ½ months early.
Our Penny was born on February 20th 2023, weighing in at only 1lb 14oz. Miss Penny is now a little over 2 months old and weighs just about 5 ½lbs. She visually looks so much better. She is fed via feeding tube breastmilk and preemie fortifier to boost her calorie intake. We are so thankful that her body tolerates her feedings which means she gains weight.
With that being said, Penny has a lot going on that can’t be seen....
She was born with a severe infection contained to the amniotic sac, placenta and her body. Unconjugated jaundice, a couple weeks of phototherapy. She has had countless blood tests, brain ultrasounds, chest/lung ultrasounds and x-rays, echos of her heart, weeks of eye exams. She has had sepsis multiple times. Rounds and rounds of antibiotics and medications. All kinds of headgear, invasive breathing tubes and cannulas. Chronic lung disease. Multiple blood transfusions. Been on 6 different breathing/lung supports. Apnea. Pulmonary edema (lungs). Neonatal anemia. ASD (atrial septal defect) which is a hole in the wall between the heart's upper chambers. PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) which is an opening between blood vessels coming from the heart. She has physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech and she will continue with these extensively in the future. Penny has bilateral club feet which will need multiple casts, surgeries and boots/braces. Perinatal IVH – Stage 4 bleeding in her brain (highest level), we will see exactly how much this affects her as she grows (ex: developmental delays, cerebral palsy, severe neurological disorders just to name some). Aggressive ROP (retinopathy of prematurity), she is at stage 4. Stage 5 is when abnormal vessel growth and scarring in the eyes are so severe that the retina completely detaches and results in vision loss and/or blindness.
Each day that Penny is with us is a miracle and a blessing.
Over the past couple months, we have exhausted what we had in savings to keep our home and stay afloat. Ryan is our only source of income, and he is doing his best to work full time and also be at the hospital as much as possible, being Dad and my sanity. I have not gone back to work because I am at UVA in the NICU with Penny, holding her, doing what cares and therapies I'm able to do with her. Learning how to care for a baby that is unique like Penny is. Pumping every 2.5-3 hours to keep my milk supply up and healthy for her. Taking care of our other 2 children; Hunter 15 and Little Ryan 6. Taking Hunter to his many appointments, helping with homeschooling, taking Ryan to and from work every day. All with one vehicle because Ryan sacrificed his vehicle to give us some financial help.
Any money donated will be used to keep our home, which is $1,800 per month. Gas to and from the hospital every day, sometimes multiple times per day. Regular living expenses/bills and for current and future medical expenses.
Ryan and I are asking for continued and non-stop prayers for our little Penny and boys. Any amount of money you’re willing to donate and contribute is so greatly appreciated. Whether you are able or unable to donate, please share this with your friends and family, it would mean the world to us.
Many photos are located in the updates.