On the afternoon of Monday, October 14, 2019, Hannah Faith Colwell was born via emergency cesarean section at Shady Grove Hospital, at the age of 31 weeks gestation. Within hours of birth, Hannah was transported by the SkyBear helicopter to Children’s National Medical Center. A couple of months before her birth, we learned that she had a rare tumor called a Sacrococcygeal Teratoma (SCT) that would need to be surgically removed shortly after birth. What we did not anticipate, are the complications caused by the SCT that resulted in her being born 9 weeks early. Upon arrival at Children’s National Medical Center, Hannah was assessed by the surgical team who conducted the 6 hour surgery when she was just 20 hours old. The surgery successfully removed the SCT, which was both in her abdomen and externally attached to her coccyx, and reconstructed her intestines, colon and bowels. The surgical team that performed Hannah’s surgery are amazingly gifted people and we are beyond thankful for their medical skills and expertise!

Hannah was a rockstar and within 24 hours of the surgery, she was able to have her breathing tube removed and opened her eyes. Her proud mom and dad were able to hold her when she was 3 days old! Hannah will need to be monitored for at least the next five years to be sure the tumor does not return and that there are no cancer cells in her body. The functioning of her bladder and bowels will be determined as she continues to develop. There is a lot of anticipation about what the future may hold, however right now, we are so thankful that she tolerated the surgery as well as she did.

The medical team at Children’s National Medical Center is anticipating that Hannah will need to remain in the NICU for 4-10 weeks, depending on her recovery from surgery and any other developmental delays that are discovered once she is recovered. As you can imagine, this is a very stressful time for our family. Sammi and Josh will be traveling back and forth between Frederick and Washington, DC to be with Hannah and also keep life as normal as possible for the other kiddos. Sammi’s family will be filling in when Sammi and Josh are not able to be home. As you can also imagine, all of the expenses for traveling, meals away from home, time away from work and unknown insurance coverage can add up quickly. If you are able to contribute to this fund to help Sammi, Josh and their family, it would be appreciated beyond measure. If you cannot financially contribute, we ask that you send positive vibes, prayers, visits to the kiddos at home and anything else to bring a smile to their faces. This has proved to be very difficult for them as well! We thank you so much for taking the time to read this, for all of your outreach, and your contribution to our family, in whatever way you can.