On May 16th, 2024, our family welcomed our newest little girl, Elowyn. Elowyn is the feisty little sister of six siblings. She came into this world with a bang, letting us all know that we're very much going to live by her rules. Unfortunately, as feisty as this girl is, life had some pretty rough plans for her. Elowyn was born with a rare genetic disorder called Monosomy X, or more commonly known as Turner's Syndrome. Most people are born with either XX chromosomes or XY chromosomes. Elowyn only has one X. There is also a handful of complexities that may come with her disorder, but we won't know what we're dealing with until we're dealing with it. 1 in every 2000 female pregnancies are diagnosed with this condition, and only 2% of those girls result in a live birth. Our girl is a miracle for even beating those odds. Because of her genetic disorder, she was also born with a complex congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, or, HLHS. Elowyn's left heart ventricle never developed. She underwent her first of three life saving open heart surgeries at five days old. Her second surgery is planned for September and her third should be when she's at least 2 years old, but we've heard of kids getting it as late as 4-7 years. It all depends on her growth. We've also been told she will most likely eventually need a transplant but because of her Turner's, we've heard she may not qualify for a transplant. The thought of that is terrifying for us, but this girl is surprising everyone so we're hoping she keeps it up in all of the best ways. With her genetic and cardiac conditions comes endless appointments, therapies, and procedures. I've had to quit my job in order to care for her, so everything is falling on dad. Any funds raised here will go towards any co-pays we may run into and will fill in the gaps where we may fall short on bills and/or needs due to staying home from work to make it to those appointments or procedures. Thank you for any contribution and for reading our story.

***update***

Winnie is currently in the hospital with a blood infection. She's being treated with IV antibiotics requiring her to be in the hospital for 6+ weeks. They're planning on going right into her Glenn procedure (second heart surgery) once she's fully recovered from this infection, moving her surgery date back a little from where we originally thought it would be. She will be hospitalized for 2+ weeks on top of her 6+ weeks recovering from her surgery. With her being in the hospital now means more time off of work, and donations are even more appreciated. Thanks again!