On Monday March 1st, 2022 Justi and Jeffrey Brinkerhoff delivered a beautiful baby boy with a full head of dark hair. A little over 12 hours later, on Tuesday March 2nd, Eugene Melvin Brinkerhoff passed away due to complications of CDH.

 

In Justi's words:

 

"We knew this could be a possibility after finding out about your CDH and we prayed, hoped, and pleaded that you would stay with us. You put up the most amazing fight and we will always love you ❤️❤️❤️. Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers we appreciate you all. "

 

After years of fertility struggles and procedures, Jeffrey and Justi Brinkerhoff were elated to find out they were pregnant with a baby boy in 2021. At their 20 week anatomy ultrasound, they learned that he had a condition called CDH (congenital diaphragmatic hernia) which means around 12 weeks his diaphragm had a weakness and his liver pushed up into his chest cavity. They began seeing doctors at Primary Children's Hospital with the hope that when baby Eugene was born, surgery would be able to be performed and his lungs and heart would develop.

With faith and optimism, Jeffrey and Justi pushed forward and hoped for the best. However, after only a few hours of being in this world, it was determined that his uncompressed lung was not strong enough to support his body independently. They made the decision to unplug him from medical support and held and loved him for about 10 minutes until he passed away.

 

We are all devastated by the loss of this beautiful baby boy, and are heartbroken for Jeffrey and Justi.

 

This fundraiser was created by me (Nicole Brinkerhoff) at the permission and request of Justi, to help alleviate the medical costs associated with the the birth and NICU stay of the baby and associated funeral costs.

Eugene will be buried in Bicknell Ut. Updates will be made here with funeral information when it becomes available.

 

If you feel so inclined, this will help alleviate some of the burden on Jeffrey and Justi while they mourn. You can also contact me directly for donation or send via Venmo so 100% of funds go directly to Jeffrey and Justi (Nicole-Brinkerhoff-81).