Help Harper Recover from Bacterial Meningitis

Hi friends!

Kim here, wow the support for this amazing family has been awesome!!! I am so thankful for each and every one of you that donated and commented and shared this fundraiser. The response has been nothing short of amazing and between the funds sent directly through GoFundMe and private etransfers to the family themselves, the Ferron family now has an extra $12,000 (and change) to help them in whatever ways they need to get through this trying time. My hope is this money will reduce their stress and ease their worries a bit, allowing them to focus on what matters; the health of their family.

So with that said, and at the request of the family, I will be shutting down this fundraiser tomorrow morning, I just wanted to have a chance to say thanks to all of you (on behalf of me and the Ferrons) and give you an update on the huge impact you've all had on their lives. I hope you all stay safe and healthy and again, thank you ♥️.

Kim Lennie (friend of Kyle and Steph).

Another Update from Stephanie and Kyle :-)

Our minds are blown at how generous you all are! We are so thankful and blessed!

We will use this generous amount of money to cover cost of flights for family to help us, meals each day we’re in hospital as that is not provided for parents staying with kids, travel to and from Calgary for appointments and transfers, and any other expenses accrued during this trying time. We will pay off what we have charged already as I am on caregiver benefits that are slow to kick in! If there is anything left over once Harper is in the all clear and we can be sure that Kyle will be able to work regularly and my maternity benefits are settled, it'll be put in an RESP for Harpers future education.

Thank you all SO So Much again from our family,

Kyle, Steph, Noah, Jorie, and Harper

Update from Stephanie & Kyle

Words simply cannot express the gratitude and love we feel after only 24 hours. Friends, family, even strangers - you are all so generous and kind.

We are so thankful for our great friend Kimberley Lennie for offering to start this fundraiser for us - something we would never do for ourselves. Also for all our friends and family for sharing the link to spread the word. We are blown away!

Coming from the east coast we know how much we care and look out for our neighbours and for each other, and small towns really go big in times of need! We feel that love from our hometown Souris PEI, and from everyone we know and love across the country. You guys are so unbelievably generous, and we are eternally grateful for your continued support!

We are so thankful for your generous donations but if you are in a tough spot yourself we ask only for thoughts, prayers, good vibes, whatever you believe in, that this difficult journey will end on May 4th and we will be able to take our girl home to be a family. If not, these generous donations will help us make it through a tough time financially going forward!

With love,

Kyle, Steph, Noah, Jorie, and Harper ferron xox

Original post

Hi, my name is Kimberley Lennie and I started this GoFundMe to support and help my good friends Stephanie and Kyle Ferron. On February 8, 2023, twins Harper and Jorie arrived very early at 34 weeks gestation. As is usual with babies this premature, the twins were to stay in the NICU until they were developed enough to tolerate the outside world, but on February 15 an additional complication developed; after a few days of severe apnea spells (stop breathing), and a pulse in the 40s, Harper was diagnosed with E.Coli Sepsis Bacterial Meningitis and rushed to the Children's Hospital in Calgary. Due to the infection, Harper developed brain atrophy and a large subdural empyema on her right parietal lobe area of her brain and was intubated on February 16. Since being diagnosed, Harper has been travelling back and forth by ambulance between Red Deer Regional Hospital and Calgary Children's Hospital, and is on a steady administration of aggressive antibiotics. Poor little Harper has also undergone numerous tests including 3 lumbar punctures, blood tests, two Picc line placements (central line for IV antibiotics) and several MRI brain scans, so much for such a tiny human. Today she is breathing on her own, but remains in hospital under constant supervision until her physicians can confirm the infection is gone and she can be off of IV antibiotics. Harper just returned from the Calgary Children's Hospital from her last MRI brain on Tuesday April 11, and unfortunately the infection has not yet cleared, so she'll be at RDRH until May 4 at which time she'll be transported by ambulance to the Children's Hospital in Calgary once again for her next MRI brain scan. It's still unknown when she will be able to go home. In addition to all of the worries and stress having a very sick baby brings (bacterial meningitis has a 20-60% mortality rate), Kyle and Stephanie also have baby Jorie and four year old Noah to care for. With limited family nearby, Stephanie flew her mother out from PEI for a few weeks in February to help out and Kyles parents were here for two weeks, but they are otherwise on their own. In addition, upon arrival from Calgary this last time back to RDRH, Stephanie was informed that one parent must be at the hospital 24/7 with Harper (sleeping in a reclining arm chair) so Stephanie will need to have both twins with her at the hospital during the day while Kyle is working (as he has no more vacation days left), and then Kyle will pick Noah up from daycare, pick Jorie up from the hospital and bring both kids home and Stephanie will stay at the hospital with Harper. As a parent myself, I cannot imagine the stress and worry of having such a sick baby and then adding on the additional pressure of caring for two other children and having no family nearby to help plus the cost of hotel stays in Calgary, food, gas, airline tickets etc. I am hoping to raise enough money for this beautiful family so that they can focus their efforts on the health and well being of their children, especially baby Harper, and not worry too much about finances for a little while.