My name is Caitlin and I work with Corinne. A handful of us at Corinne's work would like to raise money for Corinne and her husband Brandon to help with medical bills, monthly expenses, groceries, gas - ANYTHING that will help.

Sweet Eloise was born in the summer of 2022. Her family fell in love with her immediately! She is sweet, spunky, funny, and LOVES her older sister Lucy. She made the perfect addition to their sweet family.

In November 2023, when Eloise was at her 15-month check-up, her pediatrician suggested she see a Neurologist at the University of Iowa. This referral was made because her head size was larger than normal for her age. She was referred to University of Iowa Neurosurgery for an evaluation with a sedated MRI.

Her first sedated MRI was in December of 2023. After the procedure, Corinne and Brandon met with the University's Neurosurgery and Ophthalmology Department. At this time, there was no extra pressure noted in her head.

A second sedated MRI was scheduled for late January 2024, but because it was cold and flu season, it was rescheduled two separate times and didn't happen until June 2024. After this MRI, it was recommended that Eloise come back in 3 months to to re-evaluate and check her veins.

In October 2024, Corinne and Brandon took Eloise in to see her Pediatrician due to frequently acting uncomfortable, having random stretches of screaming and more prominent visible veins around her eyes. At this visit, she was diagnosed with low iron and the University of Iowa was contacted again to address the veins around her eyes.

A few days later, the U of I requested photos from Corinne and Brandon, which prompted another sedated MRI, scheduled 2 days later. Upon arrival for this appointment, Eloise was turned away yet again because she had cold symptoms. It was rescheduled to December 2024.

13 days later, the University contacted Corinne and Brandon again and was told they wanted the MRI moved up. 6 days after that, Eloise was seen for her third sedated MRI. Before getting back to Cedar Rapids from this MRI, Corinne and Brandon received a call from the U of I stating that Eloise was scheduled the next day to discuss the results with the U of I Neurology department. She was also scheduled an appointment before that with Hematology. At this point, Corinne and Brandon, who have been worried about this since the first referral back in November 2023, start to become more nervous than they ever have been.

That next day, upon meeting with the U of I Neurology and Hematology departments, Corinne and Brandon were told Eloise has Bilateral Jugular Vein Occlusion, along with extensive emissary veins as collateral veins. The most recent MRI also showed signs of high ICP (Intracranial Pressure).

In simple terms, this means is that Eloise's jugular veins are nonfunctional and her body has created many new veins to compensate for her blood flow.

"A "sinus vein" also called a "dural venous sinus," is a channel within the dura mater (the outermost layer of the brain) that collects deoxygenated blood from the brain and drains it into the internal jugular vein; essentially, it's a large, specialized vein located between layers of the dura mater, acting as a major pathway for blood drainage from the brain."

In addition to this news, the U of I stated they've never seen this before in a child her age, and only seen older individuals who have one blocked sinus vein. They've not seen two blocked and not to the extent in which they are seeing in Eloise.

The most common way to prompt a healthcare provider to evaluate for something like this would be a patient having seizures or other abnormal development/extreme symptoms. Surprisingly, Eloise is developing normally at this time with no other symptoms to suggest this might be going on (besides the size of her head and growing painful episodes).

Fast forward to Corinne and Brandon being told the following:

Eloise has to have a Cerebral Angiogram (later in November 2024) at the University of Iowa where she will be sedated for 6 hours in order to map out all veins and vessels in her brain. This will help the University determine what veins and vessels they will be dealing with and get a 3D image of her head. This surgery is extremely high-risk. Eloise could experience stroke or hemorrhaging due to the number of collateral veins her body has created.

As long as the Cerebral Angiogram looks good, then Eloise will undergo Shunt Surgery , which is also extremely high-risk.

This condition, which has not been seen at the University of Iowa, will require yearly MRIs for monitoring as Eloise grows.

Additionally, prior to the Cerebral Angiogram, they are being referred for a second opinion at Mayo Clinic in order to determine if this plan of care is the best option for Eloise.

Corinne and Brandon are facing a high level of stress and anxiety/fear, extremely high medical bills, not to mention keeping their family afloat with monthly bills, a Kindergartner, and 2 full times jobs.

They are facing many unknowns and need the support of their family and friends during this time. They are strong and are ready to face these challenges for their baby girl! ANYTHING will help. Our hope is that we can help them with their monthly bills, gas, groceries, and anything else to relieve a tiny bit of stress they currently have and will be facing.

Please consider making any sort of donation to help this amazing family out and support Eloise's future!! Thank you!!