Israel Z. Balcom 1/1/19-1/1/19.

I’ve started this fundraiser on behalf of my little sister Sarah to cover burial expenses for my nephew Israel. What should have been a year of celebration for our family has started off with sorrow. Yesterday,  Sarah went to the ER complaining of severe abdominal pain and difficulty walking, she was 8 months along. She had complained to her OB/GYN the prior week that she was in extreme pain and that she felt something was wrong, but she was told that they were normal pregnancy pains. Upon arriving at the hospital, they found that baby Israel had no heartbeat. She was rushed to the OR and during surgery they found she had a placental abruption. Sarah had already lost a lot of blood by that point as she was hemorrhaging, and was in critical condition. They were unsure if she would survive through the night and decided to life flight her to a bigger trauma center. After 9 blood transfusions, the bleeding has finally started to slow down, but she is still in the ICU and in a lot of pain. She has told us that she would like to have Israel buried, so I have been in contact with a funeral home and a cemetery here in Wilson, NC and while the funeral home will cover much of the cost for the arrangements, we will still need to pay the cemetery for burial expenses and headstone. Anything is greatly appreciated, please continue to keep Sarah in your prayers while she recovers.