Help Rockland's fight against rare heart defect

Rockland James Bailey was born to Eden and Rochelle Bailey on July 4th at 7pm. On July 5th they went home, and while they were nervous they were also very excited for their new journey to begin. On July 6th they departed for their first postpartum appointment which included multiple screenings and tests; one of those being for congenital heart defects. Unfortunately, Rockland did not pass this screener which landed them with a referral to Children's Hospital Emergency Department. He underwent a multitude of tests and imaging which resulted in them discovering he has a congenital heart defect which requires heart surgery.

Rockland was diagnosed with Truncus Arteriosus, a rare defect of the heart in which a single common blood vessel comes out of the heart, instead of the usual two vessels (the main pulmonary artery and aorta). They met with surgeons, social workers, and a genetics counselor to discuss what this means for them and Rockland for now and the future. The surgeons are to meet tonight the 7th to plan out future surgeries and to determine his eligibility to be seen sooner rather than later if that's appropriate.

They do get to hold him, snuggle him, and kiss him. He may have to have a feeding tube inserted through his nose in order to receive the necessary breast milk he needs to get big and strong.

They have applied for the Ronald McDonald house and hope to hear of availability tomorrow the 8th for their extended stay in Pittsburgh. However, that is not always a guarantee. They are in need of help to pay bills, eat, and whatever other expenses come out of this stay at Children's Hospital. Please consider donating to help these Momma's stay with their sweet baby boy while he undergoes scans, tests, and surgery.