Help Baby Gus

On Saturday February 9th at 12:55 pm Hailey Metcalf and I Chance Lawhon welcomed our 7lbs 4 oz baby Boy Augustus Lee Lawhon into this world. Little did we know at that time that he was going to face many obstacles in his life. Before we could even hold our little boy he was whisked him away to the NICU. When he was born he swallowed fluid and bowel, also his collarbone was broken at that time of delivery. Gus stayed in NICU on a breathing machine and a type of feeding tube. At this time we were told that Gus was going to be transferred to Shands in Gainesville because he had a shifted Diaphragm and that his organs were shifted as well. He needed to be seen by specialists to decide if surgery was going to be needed. On Monday Morning Gus was transported to Shands. After many tests we know that he has some Genetic issues and it is not chromosome related.They are ruling out which ones, and there are more than one. The doctors have seen babies with similar issues but not quite like Our little Gus. He will need therapy and splints on his hands. He was born with his hands clenched shut, his feet are going to need therapy and possible casts and or braces at some point in his life. As they did further tests and X-rays on Gus they found out that he had a tethered spine, he will receive surgery for that in about 3 months. As of right now they are still continuing tests on him and all of his records are being sent all around the world. He is having some trouble taking a bottle because of a high palette and because of weak muscle tone. At this time they are monitoring his milk intake and are going to decide if he needs a feeding tube to make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs to grow. We found out yesterday that our little man also has hip dysplasia. What I will say about our Sweet Gus is that he is a sweet and strong baby boy, his brain, heart and lungs are very strong. He has been faced with many obstacles but our little man is strong. As of right now we have no idea of how long he will need to be at Shands, it is going to be at Gus’s pace and the Doctors will make the decision on what is going to be best for Gus. His mom and I and some of our closest family are staying in a hotel as of right now and we are spending every second that we can with him to help him thrive even more. We appreciate all of the love and support from everyone and we are grateful for every donation. Please continue to keep Augustus Lee Lawhon in your prayers and in your prayer lists at church. We are true believers in prayers.