Baby Jolee’s Medical Care
Donation protected
January 18th, 2018 Jolee Harper was born into this world under circumstances no parent should ever have to endure.
After having been through a placental abruption, Jolee was delivered onto this Earth as a lifeless infant. For a number of minutes nurses and doctors struggled to revive her and at last Gods breath filled her lungs. Ten minutes post delivery she was declared a score 4 of 10 on the Apgar Scale, but completely on life support, and immediately transferred to the Pensacola Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, where she was placed into a hypothermic treatment for brain cooling. We spent 3, never ending days, praying little Jolee would have a chance at life and those prayers were answered when she was taken off her ventilator and was able to breath, on her own for the first time.
In a short six weeks, which has felt like a lifetime for us, she has graced that NICU with her presence and has done what no doctors thought possible. At this time, doctors are unable to determine what neurological damage she’s received from the lack of oxygen at birth, although it seems she is having no more seisures at this point. Praise God! Every day we run into new obstacles, despite her miraculous recovery, but rest assured it’s in God’s plan for her and we’ll be okay.
At this moment she has trouble drinking on her own due to neurological confusion so she meets with many specialists including speech, neurologists and physical therapists. Although she is alive and vitally well, her brain is very fragile and still developing. It could be months or years before a medical diagnosis can be confirmed ( one strong possibility being cerebral palsy).
In order to bring her home, doctors have to be certain, she can first and foremost, be able to thrive nutritionally. This may include bringing her home on medical devices that help her to nourish her body. If they decide to let her leave, we will continue to see neurologists, speech and physical therapists as an outpatient, and the possibility of home care. This care is very expensive, as we hope to have the best specialists we can find, for preventative/ therapeutic measures.
Baby Jolee still has a chance to thrive and has her whole life ahead of her, with the most loving and supportive family. The best time for action is now, to give her the opportunity for the greatest success. Whatever we have to do to provide we will, even if it means I have to swallow my pride to ask for help. Living on a single/ self-employed income, with a special needs baby and another small child, is not an easy feat but we will not be discouraged! We still don’t have a definite discharge date, but pray everyday it will be soon.
Any amount of donation from our family and friends, no matter how small, means the world to us and we are forever grateful to those who’ve helped us already along the way. The only thing we can offer in return is updates on Baby Jolees health, and to promise to pay it forward one day when we are financially able to help another family under similar circumstances.
10 percent of the final amount will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House charity of Pensacola for so graciously giving us hope, great food, and a place to stay so close to Jolee. Without them, we’d be lost. If you don’t feel comfortable donating to an invididual, please at least consider this charity as we’ve seen so many wonderful people benefit from their help.
The remaining 90 percent is going to fund future, immediate therapy, outside the hospital, as well as any medical necessities we need upon being released that insurance does not help to cover, including a vital monitor for our home.
If you made it reading this far, thank you and we love you y’all! God Bless!
After having been through a placental abruption, Jolee was delivered onto this Earth as a lifeless infant. For a number of minutes nurses and doctors struggled to revive her and at last Gods breath filled her lungs. Ten minutes post delivery she was declared a score 4 of 10 on the Apgar Scale, but completely on life support, and immediately transferred to the Pensacola Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, where she was placed into a hypothermic treatment for brain cooling. We spent 3, never ending days, praying little Jolee would have a chance at life and those prayers were answered when she was taken off her ventilator and was able to breath, on her own for the first time.
In a short six weeks, which has felt like a lifetime for us, she has graced that NICU with her presence and has done what no doctors thought possible. At this time, doctors are unable to determine what neurological damage she’s received from the lack of oxygen at birth, although it seems she is having no more seisures at this point. Praise God! Every day we run into new obstacles, despite her miraculous recovery, but rest assured it’s in God’s plan for her and we’ll be okay.
At this moment she has trouble drinking on her own due to neurological confusion so she meets with many specialists including speech, neurologists and physical therapists. Although she is alive and vitally well, her brain is very fragile and still developing. It could be months or years before a medical diagnosis can be confirmed ( one strong possibility being cerebral palsy).
In order to bring her home, doctors have to be certain, she can first and foremost, be able to thrive nutritionally. This may include bringing her home on medical devices that help her to nourish her body. If they decide to let her leave, we will continue to see neurologists, speech and physical therapists as an outpatient, and the possibility of home care. This care is very expensive, as we hope to have the best specialists we can find, for preventative/ therapeutic measures.
Baby Jolee still has a chance to thrive and has her whole life ahead of her, with the most loving and supportive family. The best time for action is now, to give her the opportunity for the greatest success. Whatever we have to do to provide we will, even if it means I have to swallow my pride to ask for help. Living on a single/ self-employed income, with a special needs baby and another small child, is not an easy feat but we will not be discouraged! We still don’t have a definite discharge date, but pray everyday it will be soon.
Any amount of donation from our family and friends, no matter how small, means the world to us and we are forever grateful to those who’ve helped us already along the way. The only thing we can offer in return is updates on Baby Jolees health, and to promise to pay it forward one day when we are financially able to help another family under similar circumstances.
10 percent of the final amount will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House charity of Pensacola for so graciously giving us hope, great food, and a place to stay so close to Jolee. Without them, we’d be lost. If you don’t feel comfortable donating to an invididual, please at least consider this charity as we’ve seen so many wonderful people benefit from their help.
The remaining 90 percent is going to fund future, immediate therapy, outside the hospital, as well as any medical necessities we need upon being released that insurance does not help to cover, including a vital monitor for our home.
If you made it reading this far, thank you and we love you y’all! God Bless!
Fundraising team: Fundraising team (2)
Elizabeth Midland
Organizer
Mary Esther, FL
Chris Midland
Team member
