Fundraiser for Kaitlin Welch

Let's all join together to show support for Kaitlin, Steve and newborn baby girl Kaydee.

Pregnancy & delivery of your sweet newborn baby is supposed to be one of the greatest times in your life, but for Kaitlin it has not been easy.

Here's her story:

On Memorial Day, (9 months pregnant) Kaitlin presented to the hospital with severe back/abdominal pain, nausea & vomiting. She was evaluated & told she had impassable kidney stones. She was a discharged and referred back to her OBGYN who decided to induce labor and deliver the baby on 6/3. After 3 terrible, long days of cervix softening and pitocin, baby Kaydee Sue Crawford was born on 6/6/17. She came in like a storm and will for sure be a fighter like her mom! On 6/9, Kaitlin was discharged from the hospital to home without being treated for the kidney stones.

Kaitlin continued to complain of fever, chills, nausea & vomiting to her OBGYN who stated she had "milk fever". On 6/17 the pain and sickness was unbearable. Kaitlin was seen in St Luke's ER and was immediately transferred to Upstate and placed in critical care. At time of admission they told her she was jaundice due to liver damage and in stage 4 renal failure, among other problems they had yet to find.

She has been at Upstate since the 17th of June, 5 days in critical care, and then into a regular hospital suite for 14 days. She has been evaluated by every specialist there it seems.

After 2 kidney surgeries, 4 blood transfusions and countless different antibiotics, they have decided she had untreated and undiagnosed (very rare and serious) HELLP syndrome while pregnant and following delivery, severe kidney infection due to the untreated kidney stones, severe Septic infection throughout her body, and Cholecystisis (gallbladder disease). She also developed drug induced fevers from all the medications. Kidney function is slowly improving but it will be a long road, hopefully avoiding any dialysis (fingers crossed!). She has a wonderful confident nephrologist on her case at this point and we are so thankful!

This will be a very long road to recovery & Kaitlin will be unable to return to work for an indefinite time period.

Please help us support Kaitlin, Steve and Kaydee by donating some financial assistance.

Right now, money & prayers are the best we can offer! There will be enormous medical bills coming in the near future and financial assistance would be the best help anyone could give to lessen the burden. Kaitlin is the toughest girl we know and she will win this battle! She has a beautiful baby girl at home waiting for her mommy!

Learn more about HELLP syndrome here: http://www.whatthehellp.com/