Andrea, Paudie and Gemma welcomed their precious baby, Callan, to their family on December 16th and are facing unthinkable hurdles following his birth. Not only is their precious baby fighting in the hospital, but Paudie has to return to work on Monday the 21st, only 5 days after Callan’s birth. If there is ever a time a family needs to be together, it’s now, during the most difficult moments they’ve ever faced. Not only is Andrea recovering from giving birth, but Callan’s struggles are emotional and painful for them all. Let’s come together for this amazing family! Please consider donating as much as you can to help with expenses so that Paudie does not have to return to work and can be with and support his family. 

Here’s Andrea’s initial post regarding Callan’s birth and health struggles:

Our sweet son, Callan Patrick, was born on Wednesday evening 10 days late weighing in at 8 lbs 10 oz. After he was born, the medical staff immediately cut his cord and rushed him to the NICU because he was limp and having difficulty breathing.

Our first update from the NICU sounded good- he was fighting the doctor, sucking, and tolerated a lessened amount of oxygen well. We were worried and upset we weren’t able to hold our precious boy, but we were hopeful.

The next day we received troubling news- Callan started having seizures. They put him on seizure medications and ordered him a CT scan to see what was the cause of the seizures. On the scan they found a small fracture on his skull and bleeding in his brain that caused the seizures. We were told the seizure medications had worked, he stopped having seizures, and best case scenario- everything would heal on its own. Again, we were hopeful.

While we were visiting, I observed seizure activity and it was confirmed by the nurse on call. She notified the doctor. The doctor notified us that the seizures were continuing even with medication and Callan would need to be transferred to Scottish Rite with more resources and staff to help him.

Callan is still at Scottish Rite Hospital being monitored and treated for seizures. The doctors and staff there have been amazing, and we’re so grateful he is in good hands. This has been the most challenging journey for our family. The worry and heartbreak of seeing your child in pain is unimaginable. We are so grateful for all of the prayer warriors that have lifted Callan and our family up in prayer. It truly means the world to us. We will update everyone on here instead of individually. Right now we’re praying for no more seizures especially when they taper the medication- Phenobarbital.

Thank you for your prayers! Our family strongly believes in the power of prayer, and it has given us strength and hope to know so many people are thinking of us.