At 20 weeks pregnant, Rafael and I went to our ultrasound to confirm we were having a baby girl. Well, along with finding out we were having a girl, we also learned our sweet baby was diagnosed with congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM). CPAM is a rare congenital birth defect that includes a cystic mass of abnormal lung tissue. It occurs when tissue in the lung doesn’t develop properly during pregnancy. We have watched her mass every week, sometimes having multiple appointments a week since her diagnosis, with ultrasounds, X-rays, CT scans, MFM appointments, meetings with fetal surgeons, etc. We have gone through all our medical funds that were supposed to be used on the whole household for medical bills, urgent care visits, medications, etc. We had to use that money on my weekly appointments, which alone were about $5,000 for all prenatal visits.

We got our first bill from her NICU visit when she was born, and because I also had cholestasis during my pregnancy, I had to get induced at 37 weeks. Then, a week later, I had to get readmitted back to the hospital due to postpartum preeclampsia, and of course, that was just another bill to add. Now we are sitting at another $5,000 of medical bills that need to be paid.

Then, last Monday, 9/15, we took our baby in for her 2-month CT scan, and on Thursday, 9/18, we met with her surgeon and found out she is going to need surgery to get the mass removed. The surgeon told us the risk of it being left in would cause severe infections in her body and, in rare cases, can become cancerous. The best thing for Aria is to remove the mass and cut off its blood supply from her aorta. They are planning her surgery sometime after she turns 3 months, which will be sometime after 10/24.

Please help us remove the financial barriers during this tough time and help us focus on her upcoming surgery. We are a family of 8 with my husband only working at this time and the only source of income coming in. I'm currently on unpaid leave as I went through my PTO, ESL, and FMLA leave while I was going to weekly appointments during my pregnancy.

Your support will go directly towards our current medical bills for Aria, her upcoming surgery, any future visits, and also the recovery, medications, and time off work for us.

Please share and pray for our sweet baby Aria even if you can’t help at this time. Your support means more than words can express.

Thank you,

The Muniz family