Casey and Jennifer Bartels Family

The family has set up this fundraiser on behalf of Casey and Jennifer and their daughters including newest addition Elowen Elizabeth and her older sisters Haddie, Hynleigh, Raelee, and Raivyn.

Early on the morning of December 24th, 2022, Jennifer went into early labor, resulting in an emergency c-section at only 25 weeks gestation. Sweet baby Elowen Elizabeth was born at 7:24am weighing only 1lb and 12oz. She needed to be transferred to the NICU. The transport ambulance had difficulties related to the extreme cold and took longer to get to her, but they did make it, and she was set up and safely transferred to the NICU in a larger hospital. Casey was able to follow her there, but Jennifer couldn't be released until approximately 48 hours later because she needed medical care as well. While all this was happening, their four older daughters spent Christmas without their parents. While they were surrounded by family and lots of love, there's no way to completely fill that void.

First and foremost, our family is asking for prayers. Please PRAY for sweet baby Ellie, her team of doctors and nurses, and her family. Please pray for her strength and growth and for comfort and understanding for all of those around her.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the months to come. The first few weeks will be the most critical for baby Ellie, and her parents want more than anything to be there with her while she fights. There are sooooo many expenses coming their way - from hospital bills and insurance deductibles to travel expenses to snacks/food/personal items while they are staying away from home. Casey works as an electrical lineman and though he can access time off, it is unpaid. Casey is planning to return to work on December 27th and continue to provide for his family, but Jenny is still healing and cannot do certain things without support. If you have the means to do so, we'd be extremely grateful for any donations you could make to their family. Donations can be made through GoFundMe, or othet methods. Another way you can support them is through a meal train. We'd love to set them up for some kid-friendly meals, which would be so helpful as family fills in at their home, and even on days they are traveling back and forth. Lastly, we have made an Amazon wishlist of essential items, items to help the big sisters cope with everything that is going on, and items to help Jennifer in travel and time split between hospital and home.

Feel free to reach out to Caytee Jones or Michaela Ingalls via Facebook or phone with any questions or if you wish to arrange gift card or cash donations.