Breanna Hughes' Medical Fundraiser

Hello everyone. The family and friends of Porsha and Damein Hughes wanted to do something to help take some of the burdens off of them (at least financially) as they go through this unimaginably difficult time with their daughter Breanna's sudden medical emergency. For those of you that know Porsha (Breanna's mom), you know that she is one of the sweetest and kindest people you will ever meet. Damein (Breanna's dad) has a huge heart and is always helping those in need. As much as they both love helping others, it is difficult for them to ask for help themselves. It took some convincing for them to even allow us to set up this fundraiser. There has been such an outpouring of love and support from so many, and they are both extremely grateful.

About Breanna:

Breanna is a sweet, smart, animal-loving 12-year-old. She loves her family and her two golden retrievers - Mario and Luigi. Breanna is known as the voice for the voiceless. She is the child that will sit at the lunch table with children that may be sitting alone. She is also known for always saying what is on her mind and keeps those around her laughing.

What happened:

On Friday, December 16th, 2022 (right before Christmas), Breanna was taken to the emergency room following a visit to urgent care with what was then thought to be dehydration. Nothing could prepare the family for what would ensue. After several tests, the doctors noticed some irregularites with Breanna's heart and quickly realized that her situation was critical and informed Porsha that she would need to be airlifted to the Children’s Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. Breanna was very weak at the time but could still talk as she was taken into the helicopter. Due to limited space, no family member was allowed in the helicopter.

Porsha would travel by car with another family member to Charleston, which was approximately a 5-hour drive. Damein was on the road traveling for work when all this occurred and had to rush home on the first flight he could get. During the drive down, Porsha received a call that no parent should ever have to receive. Breanna’s heart stopped, and they were in the process of reviving her. At the time, Porsha was approximately 2 hours away from the hospital. She had to call her husband Damein to tell him Breanna's heart stopped and that they were trying to revive her while he was uncertain of the outcome while trying to get home. You can imagine how terrifying and unimaginably painful this was for Porsha and Damein. They both desperately wanted to get to their little girl. Once again, this is something no parent should ever have to endure.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Porsha is told that after two hours, the team was able to revive Breanna. Breanna was then sedated and placed on an ECMO machine to give her body time to recover from this traumatic cardiac event. She was placed in the Cardiac ICU where she would receive around-the-clock care. Damein was able to get a flight and arrived a few hours after Breanna had been sedated. Porsha, Damein, and the family were still in shock as all of this occurred so suddenly. Breanna had no history of heart trouble, so this was so unexpected to say the least.

The next few days in the ICU would be critical for her recovery. The doctors were mainly concerned about her neurological function after being in cardiac arrest for that amount of time (a total of two hours). They would continue to monitor her heart and vital organs while she was sedated. In addition to the ECMO, the Breanna was placed on a ventilator and a dialysis machine as her heart, lungs, and kidneys all took a hit as a result of the trauma. During this time she also had heart surgery to help relieve some of the pressure on her heart.

On December 23rd, the doctors decided to reduce her sedation to test her brain function. Her scans all came back normal, but they wanted to see if she would be able to respond to simple commands. On this day, a miracle occurred! Breanna opened her eyes slightly, and when asked to blink and wiggle her toes, she was successfully able to follow those commands! Praise God!!! In the next couple of days, she was able to shake her head yes or no when asked questions.

The team of doctors worked diligently to figure out what exactly happened to Breanna to cause this to happen so suddenly. After several tests, the doctors came to the conclusion that Myocarditis was the cause of the heart condition. The condition is rare but can be brought on by a viral infection such as a common cold, flu, or COVID. All of the doctors and nurses agreed that Breanna is a miracle. The cardiologist stated he had never seen so much damage to a heart in his 25 year career. For her heart to begin pumping again on it's own was certainly God. We appreciate all of the prayers that were going up, and ask for continued prayers.

As of today, January 21, 2023, Breanna is still on the ventilator and in the ICU. We are praying she can successfully come off the ventilator soon and that her heart continues to heal. Porsha has not left Breanna's side since she was admitted. Porsha and Damein have three other children - Asja, DJ, and Elijah. DJ and Elijah are not old enough to visit Breanna, but they were allowed to see her on Christmas as an exception. Damein hates leaving Breanna's side, but he has to go back and forth to their home (five hours away) to help their oldest, Asja, take care of the boys. They all miss Breanna being home. Porsha misses seeing them as well, but Damein and other family members have been driving them down from Georgia some weekends so that they can see their mommy.

Each day is different, but the doctors and nurses have been amazing! It’s been over a month since Breanna was admitted to the Cardiac ICU, and she has had to have a second heart surgery to insert a pacemaker. The doctors have mentioned some possible next steps, but would like to give Breanna's heart some time to heal from this traumatic event. We will try to provide updates as we get them. In the meantime, Breanna must continue to stay in the ICU as her condition is still considered critical. As you can imagine, the medical expenses are exponential at this point, so any amount given is immensely appreciated. Even if you can’t give, sharing this to all your social media outlets would be a huge help.

Thank you all for the support, prayers, and well wishes. The family cannot express how much it means during this time. We love you all!

#BreStrong