#babyHudson and his sister Emerson

Hello all, I’m Robby and my fiancé is Kelsey. We are expecting fraternal twins (boy and a girl) this July, and have a 6 and a half year old boy Grayson who has had a heart transplant in the past. The girl appears to be healthy but our little unborn boy has been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This means the left side of his heart does not pump blood and is becoming severely under developed. For him to survive he’s going to need open heart surgery almost immediately after being born and at least 2 follow up surgeries within the next 3 years. These surgeries Make the right side of the heart pump blood to the lungs and body by extensively changing how blood flows through his arteries from his body, lungs and heart and comes with quite a bit of risk.The twins are being monitored closely because the boy is at risk of going into pre term heart failure which could put both twins at risk of being prematurely born. There is also risk of damage to his lungs which would mean he can not have the surgeries he would need to survive. We are having to make trips to Edmonton to meet with specialists starting at 28 weeks, this also means the twins will have to be born in Edmonton as this is the only place within a reasonable distance equipped for such a procedure. We will have to relocate two weeks prior to the expected delivery, and remain close by while he undergoes surgery and hopefully recovers. There is no definitive answer on when we would be able to return home to Calgary. He could be transferred to inpatient care at the childrens hospital in Calgary after 4 weeks or be held in Edmonton . There is a chance he would remain in Edmonton for upwards of 3 months if he ends up needing more surgeries or even a transplant. My fiancé runs a private day home and doesn’t qualify for maternity leave. With the pains and reduced mobility of a twin pregnancy along with the many ultrasounds and doctor appointments to monitor the twins progress she is unable to keep the day home open past March. Also when we are eventually back home she will have to take on less children and have to rebuild her clients as all of her current ones will be at new day homes. I will be taking paternity leave when the twins are born, but will not be eligible to start receiving payments until after they are born. This means the time I take off for meetings in Edmonton, ultrasounds and the two weeks prior to them being born reduce the income I’m able to earn. With a hopefully healthy newborn girl, newborn boy in dire need of care, a 6 year old boy with many appointments of his own, pets, a mortgage in Calgary, accommodations and food in Edmonton to arrange we face a daunting summer mentally and financially. We please ask for you to consider making a donation. Any and all donations would be greatly appreciated and would be used to cover costs of travel, food, accommodations, bills back home and any unforeseen costs while we are away from home and our jobs.