Hello friends and family! Surprise, I am currently 23 weeks pregnant and am expecting a beautiful baby girl. We planned to announce our addition to the family on Christmas Day but had an anatomy scan with abnormal findings on December 23, 2022 and decided to hold off until we had some answers. A few days ago we received the news that our baby is diagnosed with Spina Bífida. This was confirmed after a few scans & tests were reviewed by specialist. Spina Bífida is a Neural Tube Defect that results in a babies spine being split. Depending on the severity, this can mean baby will have little to no mobility from the waist down.

Regardless of our diagnosis, we are so in love with our little baby girl & are committed to giving her the best quality of life possible. We know our life will be different but we cannot imagine our family without her in it. She is loved so deeply and prayed over constantly.

we’ve been given a few options in regards to the Spina bífida. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia performs a very recommended fetal surgery that almost doubles her chances of one day being able to walk & lessen the time her nerves are exposed to the amniotic fluid. However, this surgery must be performed between 24 weeks-25 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Our window for this is short so we will be flying to Philadelphia on Tuesday to meet with a team for several tests and screenings to determine if I am a good candidate for this surgery. If all goes well, we will be having this surgery next week.

God willing we are able to do this, we will spend a few weeks there while they monitor me closely to make sure I do not go into preterm labor and then am released to come back to FL where I will be on strict bed rest.

Our family will be flying in to help us with the girls.

this GoFundMe is being created to help with travel expenses, uncovered medical bills, temporary housing, and any equipment we need to have in advance for baby girls arrival.

we’ve been living with this news for such a short time and are so grateful for everyone’s prayers & thank you in advance for any contribution to help our family during the most difficult journey we have ever been on.