Support the Lloyd Family
Help us Love the Lloyd Family!
Jeff & Marlena are dear friends of ours, and their youngest daughter Caroline Hope Lloyd is fighting for her life. Please pray for Baby Caroline, Jeff, Marlena, Clara & Cate. We would like to ask for any financial support you can give to help relieve the burden of hospital bills & extended leave from work. No amount is too small or too large. Please share this site! Let's Love the Lloyds!
From Jeff & Marlena:
Monday morning October 26, Caroline (4 1/2 months old) woke up her normal, active, happy self. She hung out in her pack and play while the rest of the family got ready and waited patiently for her turn. I picked her up, took her to her room to get her dressed. She loves being tickled, sung to, and hanging out naked for a bit while getting changed and kicking. After I got her dressed, we put her in the living room to play on the floor on her favorite piano mat. After everyone was set, we prayed as a family, just like every morning, and then Jeff carried the girls to school.
Marlena received a call from daycare around noon or a little after that Caroline was not herself. She was crying a lot of the morning and was not taking to her bottle as she normally does. I picked her up and noticed immediately that she did not feel well. Her cries were very soft whimpers; normally the kind when she is extremely tired. We arrived home and I gave her the rest of the bottle that daycare started before I arrived and rocked her to sleep. She napped for about 15 minutes. Marlena arrived home and we soon set out for the pediatrician. Marlena, being the mother that she is, noticed there was more to our baby just than just being sick and needing rest. Caroline's body was limp and there was little to no movement in her arms and legs. After the pediatrician exam, we were told to take her to the Children's Hospital emergency room.
Upon arrival at the emergency room, Caroline still in the saddest, constant whimper, is examined, x-rayed, sedated and put through a MRI. Doctors were quick to find out that Caroline had contracted two respiratory viruses, rhinovirus/enterovirus (they can't tell the difference between the two when running the test) and adenovirus, and believed to be diagnosed with transverse myelitis (swelling in the spine).
She was moved to the PICU and was given steroids for the transverse myelitis Monday night. Tuesday afternoon, the neurologist needed to obtain closer images of the spine to better determine the myelitis diagnosis. Caroline was to be sedated again for another MRI. Because of the respiratory viruses, secretion in her lungs and difficulty breathing, she was put on a ventilator to make sure she didn't run into any trouble.
Because of her new MRI results, her diagnosis was changed from transverse myelitis to probable acute flaccid myelitis. This called for a different treatment, IVIG.
This week has been focused on getting Caroline over the two viruses and her lungs clear so that she can be weaned off the ventilator. The two viruses that she has tend to peak at different times, so the hope is that earlier this week, she got through rhinovirus/enterovirus, and now she's at the peak of adenovirus and her secretions in her lungs will begin to clear up. The doctor believes she'll need to be on the ventilator at least 4 more days. From there, they can determine whether she's strong enough to breathe on her own or whether she'll need more support. Doctors indicated she is in the ICU a minimum of 2 weeks.
As of today, October 30, 2020, Sweet Caroline Hope Lloyd is paired with the beautiful Butterfly.
The Butterfly symbolizes transformation and joy. Its dance reflects the need for movement from where we are to our next phase of being. One step at a time, one phase at a time. Her body will become new. Hallelujah!