Hi there friends and family. As you all know by now, our sweet little girl will be faced with some tough challenges after birth. She was prenatally diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal abnormality. Be cautious about what you read surrounding this topic. The prevailing stats are dated and provide a much grimmer picture than the one experts and parents of children with Trisomy 18 paint. Trust us; Google was not our friend when we first found this out. If you're interested in learning more, we'd be happy to share resources with you. 

 

After doing our own research and actually meeting with people in the community, we're filled with hope. That said, children with her condition require regular medical attention early on in life to help them thrive. It's difficult to predict what those will be, but we know there will be things. Many face surgeries and long stays at the hospital, and we know we will be making regular trips back and forth from Ann Arbor. Many of these children are born early and will be in smaller clothing for much longer than traditional babies. After being discharged, most will need continuous help from medical equipment back at the house. These are some areas where things will come up, and this fund will help us acquire the things that we need, as we need them.

 

It's tough to accept it when plans change, or when something doesn't happen the way it's "supposed to" happen. It took time, but we really do feel honored that God would choose us to be this child's parents. We look forward to taking on that role, and loving every single moment with her. We're blessed to be her parents, and she's blessed to enter the world into a community of family and friends that is second to none. All of you.

 

We thank you for your love and continued support!

 

P.s. send those Ann Arbor food recos our way, we're going to be spending lotsssss of time there.