Alani Blake and Baby Recovery - Drive-by Shooting
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Alani Blake and her unborn child were victims to a senseless act of gun violence on June 22, 2019 . Alani, age 19, and 28 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl in utero, was shot by a drive-by attacker around 6 PM. The bullet hit Alani’s right hip and passed through her lower abdomen and finally stopped as it lodged into her left pelvic bone. The result of this unthinkable act was an emergency C-section delivery to save her baby girl’s life, a partial removal of Alani’s lower intestines and a resulting colostomy.
Alani and her mother Carlesta Blake, had recently moved to a new apartment and Alani was visiting some of her friends in her old neighborhood, at the Busy Arcade on Beatties Ford Road when the shooting occurred. Alani was not the target of the shooting, she was an innocent bystander who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 911 was called and Medics transported Alani to CMC where she and her baby girl are still recovering.
Alani's strength and determination has allowed her to successfully undergo two major surgeries while suffering an emergency C-section and being separated from her prematurely delivered baby who must stay in the NICU while Alani recovers in the ICU/Trauma Center. Alani will need to learn to walk again, she will have to undergo additional surgeries, and she will need time to heal and recover and regain her own strength so that she can be a mother to her baby. This will not be easy for Alani, or her mother Carlesta.
Alani’s baby, Se’Khani McKenzie Blake, weighed 2 pounds 7 ounces when she was delivered. Se’Khani is in the NICU and is expected to stay there until mid-September 2019, or around the time of her original due date. With the help of your prayers, our hope is for Alani, and Se’Khani to eventually be strong enough to go home and to begin the journey of life as a new mother and a new baby -- discovering a new normal.
They will need specialists and an in-home nurse to assist for a while when they are ready to come home. They will need assistance beyond what we can currently estimate, that is certain. We can predict it will be very VERY expensive and WELL beyond Carlesta and Alani’s capacity to pay.
As the sole-source of income for the family, Carlesta must keep working two jobs. Carlesta also works side jobs to make ends meet, but this was before Alani was shot and disabled, and before she had a premature grand-daughter to care for.
We are grateful and blessed that Alani is still here with us and it is by God’s grace that Baby Se’Khani is still alive and expected to survive this terrible and traumatic entry into the world at only 28 weeks old ─ 12 weeks before she was due. Both mother and baby are fighters ─ they are strong, and they will survive this.
We are asking for your generosity in raising money to cover the enormous expenses that both Alani, Se’Khani and Carlesta and will incur in the coming months, and possibly years. These costs include helping Alani learn to walk again, costs of additional surgeries, medical expenses, in-home nursing care expenses, unexpected baby expenses, and initial childcare expenses for Alani when she is able to return to her job. While we don't know the full cost of what Alani and Se’Khani are going to need yet, we know that she is going to need her family's apartment to be equipped with some special equipment for simple day to day activities, to support both mother and baby as they recover.
Alani is the youngest of three children, and Se’Khani is Carlesta’s first grandchild. They are a close knit family and Carlesta will continue to rally every day to support her and Se’Khani through this challenging time.
We are grateful and blessed to have family, friends and our local community offering to help in some way. The reality and severity of Alani’s injuries and Baby Se’Khani’s untimely and premature arrival will mean that financial support is the most effective way that you can help Alani and Carlesta out. On behalf of Alani and Carlesta, we THANK YOU for your prayers, your help, your generosity and support through this challenging time.
Any donation, no matter the size will make a difference in Alani's , Se’Khani’s and Carlesta's journey.
Alani and her mother Carlesta Blake, had recently moved to a new apartment and Alani was visiting some of her friends in her old neighborhood, at the Busy Arcade on Beatties Ford Road when the shooting occurred. Alani was not the target of the shooting, she was an innocent bystander who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 911 was called and Medics transported Alani to CMC where she and her baby girl are still recovering.
Alani's strength and determination has allowed her to successfully undergo two major surgeries while suffering an emergency C-section and being separated from her prematurely delivered baby who must stay in the NICU while Alani recovers in the ICU/Trauma Center. Alani will need to learn to walk again, she will have to undergo additional surgeries, and she will need time to heal and recover and regain her own strength so that she can be a mother to her baby. This will not be easy for Alani, or her mother Carlesta.
Alani’s baby, Se’Khani McKenzie Blake, weighed 2 pounds 7 ounces when she was delivered. Se’Khani is in the NICU and is expected to stay there until mid-September 2019, or around the time of her original due date. With the help of your prayers, our hope is for Alani, and Se’Khani to eventually be strong enough to go home and to begin the journey of life as a new mother and a new baby -- discovering a new normal.
They will need specialists and an in-home nurse to assist for a while when they are ready to come home. They will need assistance beyond what we can currently estimate, that is certain. We can predict it will be very VERY expensive and WELL beyond Carlesta and Alani’s capacity to pay.
As the sole-source of income for the family, Carlesta must keep working two jobs. Carlesta also works side jobs to make ends meet, but this was before Alani was shot and disabled, and before she had a premature grand-daughter to care for.
We are grateful and blessed that Alani is still here with us and it is by God’s grace that Baby Se’Khani is still alive and expected to survive this terrible and traumatic entry into the world at only 28 weeks old ─ 12 weeks before she was due. Both mother and baby are fighters ─ they are strong, and they will survive this.
We are asking for your generosity in raising money to cover the enormous expenses that both Alani, Se’Khani and Carlesta and will incur in the coming months, and possibly years. These costs include helping Alani learn to walk again, costs of additional surgeries, medical expenses, in-home nursing care expenses, unexpected baby expenses, and initial childcare expenses for Alani when she is able to return to her job. While we don't know the full cost of what Alani and Se’Khani are going to need yet, we know that she is going to need her family's apartment to be equipped with some special equipment for simple day to day activities, to support both mother and baby as they recover.
Alani is the youngest of three children, and Se’Khani is Carlesta’s first grandchild. They are a close knit family and Carlesta will continue to rally every day to support her and Se’Khani through this challenging time.
We are grateful and blessed to have family, friends and our local community offering to help in some way. The reality and severity of Alani’s injuries and Baby Se’Khani’s untimely and premature arrival will mean that financial support is the most effective way that you can help Alani and Carlesta out. On behalf of Alani and Carlesta, we THANK YOU for your prayers, your help, your generosity and support through this challenging time.
Any donation, no matter the size will make a difference in Alani's , Se’Khani’s and Carlesta's journey.
Organiser
Carol Caudle
Organiser
Charlotte, NC
