#CJstrong - Spina Bifida Support

Hi. We are The McGrier Family. A beautiful blended family who were expecting another bundle of joy to make our family complete. Just a few short weeks ago we, along with our 3 children,  were celebrating the gender reveal of our son.  Our joy was challenged when at 20 weeks pregnant, Shelly received an ultrasound that revealed that our precious baby boy would have Spina Bifida. Myelomeningocele  Chiari II to be precise.  Faced with multiple options and after much consideration, we opted to have in utero surgery in hopes of repairing our babies spine and giving him the best chance at life. Residing in Arizona, we had about 48 hours to drive to the nearest hospital that would perform the surgery, which was in Aurora, Colorado.  We learned we had to move quickly because of how late in the pregnancy his diagnosis was given. After a 13 hour drive, a couple days of prep and testing, it was time for surgery. The extensive procedure went well and repairs seemed to go as planned. Less than 48 hours later, things began to turn and Shelly found herself 5 cm dilated and in labor. Baby CJ was coming and fast. This resulted in another Cesarean incision that would deliver the baby as safely as possible. CJ was born at 8:16pm on February 13th 2021. Weighing in at 1lb 6 ounces, he came into this world fighting for his life. After two blood transfusions, being hooked to both oscillators and ventilators for breathing, CJ is continuing to prove to us that he is a fighter. With his survival rate and quality of life being challenged, we are choosing to have faith that the best is yet to come. Every time he opens his eyes and squeezes our finger with his tiny fist, we get the strength to fight alongside our warrior.  We have a long road of recovery ahead of us, for both mom and baby. We are currently blessed to be staying in Colorado Children's Hospital and they have provided free lodging and food for us at a local Ronald McDonald house upon discharge from the hospital. We don't know what the future holds, but with the uncertainty of recovery time, this has and will continue to greatly impact our ability to work, travel and even care for our other children at leisure. CJ will have to stay hospitalized at least up until his original due date, June 2nd 2021. We will have to navigate supporting/visiting him, caring for our children & home in Arizona and making financial ends meet. This campaign is to raise support so that we can focus our time and energy towards Shelly and CJ recovering well and being sent home. Please consider donating and sharing after hearing our story. Please continue to pray with us and believe that this story isn't over yet. We will continue to update as we can and thank you all for being on this journey with us. 

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