Geaux Ko Geaux

My name is Hayley Forsthoff and I am a co-worker of Jade Leblanc at Milton Elementary Middle School, but more importantly I’d like to say a believer. While I never worked directly with her like her Kindergarten team did, I still was able to get a glimpse of her love for teaching by servicing her students everyday for Physical Education (30 minutes was plenty enough for me). Jade is a wife to Jesse Leblanc, a mother to Emmi (7), Mila and Koah (9 months). Jade’s love and passion for her job and the students shined bright everyday. Roughly 4 years ago, Jade started to receive students that had specific medical needs that our school has never had to deal with in a traditional classroom setting. God was working his magic right here before her eyes without her even knowing it. He was preparing her for what was to come! She received two students with Type II Diabetes that needed constant monitoring and adjustments at the young age of 5, a student with an extreme allergy that restricts her from everyday life, and this year she would have had another Type II diabetic.

This leads me to Jade’s story. God’s plan….

“At 29 weeks pregnant with twins, I was admitted to the hospital because of baby boy Koah’s insufficient placenta. His blood flow was reversed, so instead of blood going to his body it was flowing back to mine.

Because of the severity of my situation, Dr’s expected that weekend I would deliver the twins. By the grace of God, double portions of food, magnesium iv, steroid shots, and strict bed rest I was able to hold out 6 more weeks.

On July 29, 2022 the twins were born via C- section. Mila Elizabeth was born at 8:02am weighing 4lbs 13 oz 18 inches long and Koah Jude at 8:04am weighing 3lbs 8 oz 16.5 inches long. Both were taken immediately to the NICU needing oxygen support, NG feeding tube, jaundice light therapy, and many other premature needs.

September 2nd, after 35 days in the NICU, Mila was able to go home with us. Koah, on the other hand, just beat the odds against him by fighting for his life, so he needed extra care. He was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called a VSD which was being monitored by the NICU cardiologist. Around 2 weeks after birth, we were told Koah was showing physical markers indicative of Down Syndrome. He received a total of 3 blood transfusions and had to have a PIC line because of trouble with his IVs. He spent many days of his stay in the critical care unit of the NICU being watched closely by the neonatologists and overcoming many medical challenges and issues.

On September 30th Koah had surgery to insert a GTUBE in his belly to start the process of going home. Koah spent 124 days in the NICU and was finally allowed to come home on November 30th!

Koah is on oxygen and a feeding tube 24 hours a day 7 days a week. His congenital heart defect is a little more complicated than just a VSD. He has Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) which is being repaired on April 25th in New Orleans, La.

Upon his discharge we had to learn how to use home oxygen equipment, master his feeding pump, give multiple medications daily, breastfeed/ pump to provide needs to Mila, and navigate the new everyday life before us. All of this had to be done without the comfort of nurses, doctors, and specialists…. we were literally trying to keep our baby alive, and doing it alone.

While my maternity leave and sick leave ran out after 12 weeks, Jesse now became the sole provider for our family financially. Place that on top of having him already providing/ single parenting for 6 weeks while I was on bedrest, our minds began to wonder, our stressors began to rise, the uncertainty began to thicken, and depression and sadness started creeping in. My everyday prayer began to include me asking God to help provide financial support. We weren’t sure how we could have the ability to keep a baby with extreme medical needs and a family of 4 others happy, healthy, and supported.

With days and months passing quickly and multiple trials and tribulations becoming more and more intense, I started to share my journey. I reached out to a couple friends and family to begin figuring out life now. In all honesty, I struggled to share because I never could talk about what we were going through without completely breaking down. I didn’t want pity from family or friends, but ultimately I needed their help.

Koah has impacted our lives in so many ways within these 9 months that are indescribable. We see life differently, we live differently, and we love differently. Patience, strength, and fight have a whole new meaning to us. It’s obvious that God's plan of building me up in my last few years of teaching students with medical needs, was just in fact that, to bless me with my warrior Koah Jude!! God knew I could handle this and knew he provided me with the greatest blessing to our family. His fight is my fight and forever we have been changed. “

While Jade and her family fight for their little blessing, my goal is to walk right beside her and fight to release some of her burdens. Money doesn’t fix everything, but when she hasn’t had the ability to work for roughly a year and accumulated medical bills well into the millions, I pray this will ease her mind. Jades never asked for help and faced everything head on which is indicative of the beautiful person she is. When the dust settled and she faced her new challenges in life, she knew she needed a Krewe (Koah’s Krewe). I ask you all, if you made it this far into reading this, to lift the Leblanc family up in prayer. I ask that we provide them peace and comfort knowing that if we have the ability to donate we can lighten their load and help them purchase medical supplies, pay bills, reset and conquer the next challenges Koah’s big heart surgery may bring them. Thank you for supporting this family even by simply sharing their story. Join us in continuing to pray for them daily!

We love you LeBlanc family.

Geaux Ko Geaux!!!