Baby Ezra’s Hospital Stay

Ezra Jude Schaffer was born on Wednesday, April 19th at 12:37 PM, weighing 6 lbs and 12 oz.

Ezra has a condition called congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), which is a hole in his diaphragm. This caused abdominal organs to move up into his chest cavity and prevent his lung development. Another result of this condition is his heart was shifted from the left side of his chest to the right side, due to lack of space.

Ezra was born on International Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day, April 19th. CDH is a condition which occurs in about 1 in 2500 live births. Due to the lack of lung development, Ezra will be on breathing support for the first days/weeks of his life. Once he is stabilized, he will have his first surgery, followed by his second, after being stabilized again from his first.

Ezra’s parents, Michael and Victoria, transitioned staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia at the beginning of April, in order to prepare for his birth at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Ezra will need to have two surgeries. One to restore his organs to their correct placement in his abdomen, and a second on his heart to fix a pulmonary hypertension, which is a narrowing of his blood vessels, caused by the CDH.

It is expected that Ezra’s hospital stay at CHOP could be anywhere from 1-3 months, which is 2.5 hours from the Schaffer family’s home in Lancaster, PA.

This GoFundMe is to support baby Ezra, and his parents, Michael and Victoria. The funds raised will be used to assist in:

1) Covering their stay at the Ronald McDonald House

2) Assist with travel costs to and from Lancaster and Philly, when Michael returns to work

3) Food costs while the family stays in Philly

4) Any additional needs Ezra may have when he gets to go home

Victoria is a labor and delivery nurse at Women and Babies hospital, and Michael works at Victory Church as the Next Steps Associate Director.

The family thanks you for any gift you are willing to give them during this difficult time in their lives.