Support Atlas and his NICU Journey

Hello,

Our names are Brett and Meg, Atlas’s parents, and we are asking for help. We have a son in the NICU. He was born prematurely at 6 months and against all odds he has defied death, survived surgery, and is smiling today though he is still in the NICU for the foreseeable future.

We have found ourselves in a situation no parents can plan for. No parents plans to see their son for the first time at 1 pound 7 ounces. No parent plans to see their child be resuscitated and intubated. Few parents plan on getting called in because their new son is likely to die from NEC (intestinal ruptures). No parent plans to sit in a waiting room praying for their child to survive abdominal surgery. It has been a hard road but Atlas has shown the strength of his namesake and survived.

Atlas was a surprise and blessing after multiple failed pregnancies. My wife and I decided to take a break and focused on enjoying life and our adventures. We bought a house and my wife finished her degree. Both of which we are working towards paying off. We were blessed with Atlas and were so overjoyed when we announced his arrival.

Through it all, his medical bills have strained us in an already tight financial situation. Additionally, my wife has reduced her work hours to spend time with Atlas and the extra gas money as well as wear and tear on the car are starting to add up as he was transferred to a higher level NICU an hour and a half away.

We are asking for help to make it through our current situation. The deductibles alone for the medical bills we currently owe add up to 6,800 and counting

We want to be in a position to be the best parents we can be when Atlas finally gets to come home.

About us: My wife and I met while I was stationed overseas with the military. She was a South African teaching English in Korea. We have overcome a lot of challenges in our marriage to include a deployment to Afghanistan and a very long immigration process . We have weathered every challenge so far but we weren't ready financially for the challenges that come with having a NICU baby.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.