Giving Green for Gigi

At 7:30 in the morning on September 11th,  Garrett woke up and sees his pregnant wife, Lauren, standing at the bedroom door swaying back and forth. Garrett leaped out of bed to Lauren’s side, and she began having a seizure. Once she had stopped seizing, Garrett was able to grab his phone from the side table. By the time he returned to Lauren, she had passed out. Garrett cradled her in his lap and called EMS. When Lauren regained consciousness, she didn’t recognize her husband. She looked at him as if she had seen a ghost and began exclaiming “who are you? What are you doing? Get away from me! Who are you?” Garrett tried to reassure her of who he was and keep her from getting up and further injuring herself.

 

When EMS arrived, they checked her blood pressure and it was 200/140. (Normal is 120/80.) While in the ambulance, her medical team decided that Lauren needed to have an emergency C-section immediately. The events leading up to and during the C-section are unclear to Lauren. She didn’t get to see her baby be born, she didn’t hear her cry, she didn’t even get to see her until the next day. She later found out that she had experienced two seizures that morning caused by eclampsia. 

Gianna was born at 25 weeks gestation, weighing one pound seven ounces, and was thirteen inches long.

 

Today, Gigi is seven weeks old, weighing three pounds eleven ounces and fifteen and a half inches long. Her release date is undetermined at the moment as she has been struggling to get her breathing tube removed. Gianna's medical team have tried 3 times to see if she's ready to be without but her lungs just aren't ready yet. Gianna recently was diagnosed with an infection in her lungs and may need surgery to repair a small hole in her heart.

 

Lauren and Garrett are both very hardworking individuals and love their family more than anything. Lauren is an elementary educator in a Title 1 school. Garrett works in secondary education, coaches basketball and works a second job delivering newspapers. Lauren went back soon after having the baby to conserve her 16 days of paid time off.

 

Our goal is set at $55,000 to help cover all medical expenses for both Lauren and Gianna, as well as food, diapers, and other necessities for baby Gianna, Garrett, and Lauren. All funds raised will go directly to the Wilkins family and they greatly appreciate all donations, prayers, likes, love, and shares. Thank you for your support!