My beautiful younger sister Rachel is pregnant with her second child, a baby girl named Ayden. At approx. 20 weeks, during a routine anatomy scan, Ayden was diagnosed with Type III CPAM. CPAM is a rare lung abnormality that affects 1 in 30,000 babies and produces a pulmonary mass with cysts. Type III occurs in only 10% of these cases, and in only 0.0003% of babies overall. The mass in Ayden's chest is the largest her physicians and surgeons have ever seen and if it doesn't reduce in size, can result in fetal hydrops (fluid in multiple areas of the baby's body) and heart failure. In both of these scenarios, Ayden's chance of survival is extremely low.

To care for herself and Ayden, Rachel and her family have suddenly uprooted from Phoenix to Houston to be near a children's hospital that can care for them both. She currently requires weekly ultrasounds to monitor Ayden's condition and steroid shots to hopefully reduce the size of the mass. If Ayden's condition doesn't improve, she may require surgery in-utero or early delivery via C-section to receive immediate surgical intervention. Any surgery puts the baby's life at risk, as well as my sister's.

All of these scenarios, including Rachel's current pre-natal care, will result in thousands of dollars of medical bills that places significant financial burden on their young family. Rachel has already had to cut back on her job to care for herself, and has a young son to care for.

Rachel is blessed with a wonderful, loving husband David and is lucky to have David's family as a support system in Houston to help them during this time, as well as the love and support from her family in California and Arizona. I am asking for additional financial support from friends and family for their medical expenses, to ensure my sister, niece and their entire family can have the future they deserve.

Thank you so much in advance for your love, well wishes and support.