Help for Hunter

Hi, I'm Kristen and I'm starting this fundraiser to help my niece and her family. Please see their story below! They welcomed 2 new bundles of joy this week, Hudson & Hunter. We're hoping to raise a little bit of money for mom and dad to get back and forth to and from the hospital and for hospital bills for Hunter's stay in the NICU. They've got a little one at home, too! If you can't donate, please share to help spread the word! We appreciate each and every one of you so much! Thank you!

Kaylee and Jacob are mommy and daddy to Noah, Hudson, and Hunter. Here is their story…Not long after Noah’s 1st birthday, they learned Kaylee was pregnant and were so excited to grow their family. At Kaylee’s 10-week appointment, they found out their soon-to-be family of 4 was going to be a family of 5. TWINS!! The boys are named Hudson and Hunter. Kaylee’s 24-week appointment brought about some bad news. Hudson has a hole in his heart and will need to see a cardiologist. He has a small to medium VSD (ventricular septal defect) that hopefully will not require surgery after birth but will require many doctor’s appointments for the first few years of his life. Week 28 brought on more bad news. An ultrasound showed a dark spot on Hunter’s diaphragm. Kaylee was referred to another specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital in the medical center. It was torture waiting for the appointment and the results of the MRI were devastating. At 31 weeks Hunter was diagnosed with CDH (congenital diaphragmatic hernia) which means Hunter’s diaphragm has a hole that allows his liver to herniate from his abdomen up into his chest. His lungs are cramped for space and are much smaller than they should be. The surgeon’s plan of action was to put Hunter on a feeding tube and intubate immediately after birth and perform surgery when he is a few days old to repair the hernia. Hunter would need to stay in NICU for 8-10 weeks to recover and let his lungs grow. They were told there is a 5% chance Hunter will be on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and a 5% chance it will heal on its own. Kaylee has seen specialist after specialist, having 1-2 weekly appointments to find the best plan for the boys. At week 35, the obstetrician told Kaylee and Jacob she believes Hunter’s umbilical cord is compromised and decided it was time to induce labor. After an emotionally draining pregnancy, on February 9th Kaylee delivered two beautiful little boys. Hudson was born first weighing 4 lbs 15 oz, then Hunter weighing 3 lbs 15 oz. As planned, Hunter was immediately intubated and a feeding tube was inserted, and taken straight to the NICU, but Kaylee and Jacob did not get a chance to hold him. X-rays and ultrasounds were done to determine the severity of the CDH. When Jacob went to stay with Hunter later that night, he received the best news possible. After reviewing the scans, the surgeon determined Hunter fell into the “5% best case scenario” and does not have CDH. He does however have a weakened diaphragm which is impeding his lung growth. Hunter will now be in the NICU for an undetermined length of time to get bigger and let his lungs grow. He is not out of the woods yet, but this is a true miracle, and we are so thankful for all the thoughts and prayers. Over the next several days, weeks, and months Kaylee and Jacob will be making regular trips to the med center for the boy’s appointments. We hope this fundraiser will help take some of the burden and worry off them and help with expenses (gas, food, parking, medical bills) and focus on their beautiful boys. Please continue to pray for Kaylee and Jacob and their new family. They have a long road ahead of them and need your support.