Baby Fleming's Heart Journey
Donation protected
Hey everyone,
Thanks for visiting this page. My name is Mike Edmonds and I am writing this with my wife, Sue, with our daughter Meg, and son-in-law Josh Fleming. Sue and I live in Pennsylvania. Meg and Josh live in beautiful New Hampshire.
Earlier this year, Meg and Josh were elated to announce they were expecting their second child, a sibling for their first-born, our grandson, Elwood. (Here they are in a recent photo taken on a relatively warm day, just after Thanksgiving.)
Unfortunately, a few months ago, a series of scans revealed our second grandchild has a complex congenital heart defect known as "Transposition of the Great Arteries" aka TGA. The baby, which is due shortly after Christmas, will require life-saving, open-heart surgery within the first week of life.
A word about TGA: Normally, the pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle of the heart and carries oxygen-poor (blue) blood to the lungs. The aorta leaves the left ventricle and carries oxygen-rich (red) blood to the body. In babies with a TGA birth defect, the pulmonary artery and aorta are reversed, depriving the organs of the body of necessary oxygen.
Meg and Josh will travel to Boston for the delivery and subsequent surgery. We've been told to expect the baby will require as long as a one-month hospital stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
This page is meant to give friends, family, coworkers and any other generous and caring people, one means of supporting Meg and Josh financially. We anticipate their total out-of-pocket costs may range from $15,000 to $20,000. Helping to reduce their already mounting medical expenses and other related costs, such as food, lodging, travel, and lost work time, will lessen their anxiety about financial concerns. While they do have health insurance, the annual family deductible is quite high and in normal years, has never been met, and they live a very frugal lifestyle.
On December 5th, Meg and Josh will make their second trip to Boston, for an all-day consult with a team of doctors who will deliver and operate on the baby. They will stay in Boston, a notoriously expensive city, for the duration - from the baby's delivery to the end of what we expect to be a long but successful hospital stay.
Sue and I will move from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire to care for our grandson Elwood and the family pet, a male Corgie named Einstein. Thankfully, I have full support from my employer and will be able and allowed to work from New Hampshire.
On behalf of Meg, Josh, Elwood, and Sue, I want to thank you in advance for your support - whether it be financial, moments of prayer, or words of encouragement.
Look for updates from all of us.
Thanks for visiting this page. My name is Mike Edmonds and I am writing this with my wife, Sue, with our daughter Meg, and son-in-law Josh Fleming. Sue and I live in Pennsylvania. Meg and Josh live in beautiful New Hampshire.
Earlier this year, Meg and Josh were elated to announce they were expecting their second child, a sibling for their first-born, our grandson, Elwood. (Here they are in a recent photo taken on a relatively warm day, just after Thanksgiving.)
Unfortunately, a few months ago, a series of scans revealed our second grandchild has a complex congenital heart defect known as "Transposition of the Great Arteries" aka TGA. The baby, which is due shortly after Christmas, will require life-saving, open-heart surgery within the first week of life.
A word about TGA: Normally, the pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle of the heart and carries oxygen-poor (blue) blood to the lungs. The aorta leaves the left ventricle and carries oxygen-rich (red) blood to the body. In babies with a TGA birth defect, the pulmonary artery and aorta are reversed, depriving the organs of the body of necessary oxygen.
Meg and Josh will travel to Boston for the delivery and subsequent surgery. We've been told to expect the baby will require as long as a one-month hospital stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
This page is meant to give friends, family, coworkers and any other generous and caring people, one means of supporting Meg and Josh financially. We anticipate their total out-of-pocket costs may range from $15,000 to $20,000. Helping to reduce their already mounting medical expenses and other related costs, such as food, lodging, travel, and lost work time, will lessen their anxiety about financial concerns. While they do have health insurance, the annual family deductible is quite high and in normal years, has never been met, and they live a very frugal lifestyle.
On December 5th, Meg and Josh will make their second trip to Boston, for an all-day consult with a team of doctors who will deliver and operate on the baby. They will stay in Boston, a notoriously expensive city, for the duration - from the baby's delivery to the end of what we expect to be a long but successful hospital stay.
Sue and I will move from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire to care for our grandson Elwood and the family pet, a male Corgie named Einstein. Thankfully, I have full support from my employer and will be able and allowed to work from New Hampshire.
On behalf of Meg, Josh, Elwood, and Sue, I want to thank you in advance for your support - whether it be financial, moments of prayer, or words of encouragement.
Look for updates from all of us.
Fundraising team: Baby Fleming (3)
Eastern Lift
Organizer
Concord, NH
Meg Fleming
Beneficiary
Joshua Fleming
Team member
