One of my best friends,Meghann Babcock, and her fiance, Josh Niemi, recently had their first baby together. Little baby Harper Louise was born in Marquette, Mi, by C-section on Monday, January 6th, at 2:38 pm. She was 7 lb. 8.6 oz. and 20 1/2 inches of pure love.

Harper had some difficulties and was brought to the NICU. That's when the doctors discovered Harper may have suffered a stroke while Meghann was still pregnant. She started having seizure activity due to a brain bleed, and Meghann and Harper were flown down to the University of Michigan to further her care.

Harper has been under the care of a fantastic team of doctors down in Ann Arbor, and Meghann is by her side. The seizure activity had subsided, but has since started again. They are monitoring the bleeding, but there are some spots in her brain that have already been damaged.

She will be at U of M for an unforeseen amount of time and will have a long road ahead of her, with a lot of unknowns at this point.

Harper's dad is currently with her and Meghann in Ann Arbor, but his 13-year-old son, Jackson, and their dogs are at home in Gwinn, being babysat. So, Josh will need to go home soon and go back to work.

Meghann is on the list to get in at the Ronald McDonald House by the hospital in Ann Arbor while Harper is down there, but between meals, travel, and soon the medical bills are going to start piling up,they are going to really need some help.

Meghann has worked full-time at Marquette County Medical Care Facility as a CRNA for 8 years and has been a wonderful stepmother to Josh's son for the past 10 years. She has always selflessly taken care of everyone around her. This isn't how Meghann's first experience as a new mom should have been.

She needs to focus on healing herself, and taking care of and being with Harper, not worrying about the bills stacking up, and how she's paying for her next meal while she's away from home.

Please help them with whatever you can.

Thank you so much,

Cashel