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Aubrey's Road to Recovery

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Mommy, Daddy and Aubrey!

Loving her flower girl dress!

Taking a stroll with daddy!


Nothing like getting some fresh air and playing in the fountain!



Sitting up all on my own :)





Hello everyone! My name is Lindsey Billeaud. I am Amber and Richey Menards sister-in-law and sweet Aubrey Grace Menard’s “Aunt Lindo”. Many of you may know the journey our sweet Aubrey has been on the past 2 months, but for those of you who don’t know I will give a brief summary! Back in February, Amber and Aubrey moved to Lafayette because Richey (Aubrey’s dad), was being sent out for deployment. Fast-forward 4 months to June 10 when Aubrey was admitted into the hospital because her mom (Amber) just knew something wasn’t right. Two days prior to being admitted Aubrey was not able to keep anything down, her balance seemed to be off, and she was having some difficulty walking. After being admitted into the hospital that night, Amber still knew something wasn’t right to the point she really wanted to see a Doctor. After a while, Amber was finally able to get Aubrey to go to sleep for the night only to be woken up early the next morning to Aubrey having difficulty breathing, which turned into Aubrey NOT breathing. CODE BLUE was called and this is where it all began. Doctors noticed that one pupil was more dilated than the other, which led them to believe it was something neurological. Aubrey was quickly taken back for a CT scan and MRI, which revealed our sweet Aubrey who was only 15 months old at the time had a tumor on her brain. Any parent’s worst nightmare, right? The Doctor immediately placed a tube to drain all the fluid that had been building up around Aubrey’s brain. She was then admitted into ICU, which was her home for the next month or so. After placing tube, the Doctor and his team began preparing for what ended up being a 30 hour surgery the next morning, which was Thursday. Thursday morning I can remember speaking to the Doctor’s PA who said “yeah we are about to go eat some breakfast and fuel up” in other words “this is going to be a long surgery”. Surgery began Thursday morning and lasted until Friday afternoon, which I think I can speak for Amber and Richey (Aubrey’s mom and dad) was the longest two days you could ever imagine. In the meanwhile, Richey (dad) was on his home because he had been deployed for the past 4 months!! After surgery, pieces of the tumor were sent off for biopsy, which took several days for results to come back because the type of tumor is very rare, but it was BENIGN!! The tumor is called “Choroid Plexus Papilloma”. In the meantime Aubrey was still in ICU re-cooperating from her extensive surgery, which she is a FIGHTER and was so strong! After everything began to settle down there were many many questions “will she ever be able to eat again”, “can she see”, “can she hear”, “will she walk again”? As hard as it was Amber and Richey took it one day at a time with LOTS of support from friends and family. Amber and Richey were NEVER alone; there was always someone at the hospital or nearby in case they needed anything. After a few weeks of being “Supergirl” Aubrey was ready to be discharged to a Rehab where she could begin receiving intense physical, occupational and speech therapy. From the time Aubrey left Lafayette and arrived at her destination for Rehab she had already began to crack a few more smiles, which was more progress made! As Aubrey, Amber and Richey began this long and emotional journey of “what will Aubrey be able to do again” they had nothing but positive thoughts for their sweet daughter. As the weeks went by Aubrey made SIGNIFICANT progress in all therapies which included: eating by mouth, smiling, crying, turning her head, holding up her head, holding her “sippy” cup and bringing to her mouth, sitting up, moving right side of body, standing up with assistance, rolling over, babbling “dada” and much more. A discharge date had been set for Aubrey, but since she was making so much progress her discharge date was extended a few more weeks!! Aubrey has made TREMENDOUS progress and we pray she continues to keep up the good work and be the fighter we know she is. Once discharged from Rehab, Amber, Richey and Aubrey will be heading back home to where they live for Aubrey to continue therapy in an outpatient setting. Any donations would be greatly appreciated in supporting her continued recovery!!
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $100 
    • 10 yrs
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Organizer

Lindsey Voorhies Billeaud
Organizer
Lafayette, LA

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