Help Jaalah and Ben Through Their Journey With Baby Laelle

Laelle's story:

Ben and Jaalah were so excited to be expecting their 2nd child, sweet baby girl Laelle Elizabeth. The pregnancy was very normal and uneventful, up until the 20-week Anatomy scan in early January. Major concerns were found, which led to far more doctors appointments, ultrasounds, fetal cardiac echos, a fetal MRI, and more. Some of these took place at Sacred Heart in Spokane, where they ended up deciding they weren't willing to take this rare case on, due to how complex it was. After pushing to be reffered to the amazing team at Seattle Children's Hospital/University of WA, it was finally discovered that there are no possible surgical interventions that can be done due to the many extreme problems Laelle has, many of which are among the worst doctors have seen. Seattle had 12+ doctors and surgeons discussing her case, and they even reached out to their colleagues across the country, which includes doctors from the largest hospitals in the nation. Laelle has a conjoined twin (they share one body, but each has their own spine and head.) The twin sadly developed very poorly and has something similar to anencephaly, meaning the skull and brain didn't develop fully. Both spines have an extremely severe form of spina bifida, which has led to very bad ventriculomegaly (fluid) in Laelle's brain, as well as other brain concerns. There is a major heart defect where the heart didn't develop the septums (walls), therefore it functions as a two chambered heart. The pulmonary artery is closed off as well. There's a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which basically is a hole in the diaphragm allowing several organs to push up into Laelle's chest, severely restricting lung development. There are also other concerns such as a blockage in the small intestine, and more.

Jaalah and Ben have been advised by the doctor team to temporarily relocate to Seattle on March 30th, where they will be nearby University of WA where they plan to have the birth. This birth will be a C-section, and will likely take place sometime in the first couple weeks of April. Sweet Laelle and her twin are not expected to be here long at all, so Ben and Jaalah's top priority right now is spending very special and quality memory-making time with her, allowing big brother Max to hold her, and just keeping her as comfortable as possible as she goes to heaven. ❤️

Why we are raising money for their family:

-The biggest and most worrisome financial burden on Ben and Jaalah right now is that Ben is likely going to need the entire month of April off from work, which would unfortunately be unpaid. Having that month off will allow the temporary relocation to Seattle ahead of time, the birth and hospital stay itself, then some time after for Jaalah to recover from the C-section and their family to have time to heal emotionally.

-The next concern are the costs for infant funeral/memorial expenses, which can be thousands.

-There are also numerous medical bills that are going to be continually rolling in as the next month or so goes by.

Ben, Jaalah, and Max cannot express how grateful they are for any and every donation, as every bit helps ease the added anxiety of financials during this extremely tough time. Even just re-sharing this fundraiser to get the word out would be a huge help, as well as keeping the family in continuous prayer! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and bless the Pulliam family as you feel led.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

~Romans 8:28

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all."

~Psalm 34:18-19