Christmas came a little earlier this year in Ishpeming, Michigan for Emily and Mike with the birth of their son, Maximus Daniel Dellemann-Meier. Maximus made a surprise appearance a bit earlier than anticipated on November 30, 2018, at 10:30 p.m. after an emergency cesarean section, weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce, and 19 3/4 inches long.  Mike and Emily, and big sister Penny, fell immediately in love. 

Something wasn't quite right though. Max was having problems with a buildup of secretions from his nose and throat immediately following his birth. The medical staff discovered that Max had esophageal atresia, a condition where the esophagus is not connected to the stomach. 

Max was transported to the Marquette NICU, where they confirmed the diagnosis, and worked hard to stabilize him until after Winterstorm Carter had passed, which hit the UP hard with snow and ice, making further medical transport impossible until Monday, December 3rd. 

Max and his dad were flown to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee on Monday night, with Emily following by car upon discharge from the hospital.  

Max is scheduled for surgery on Thursday, December 6th, where they will attempt to connect the esophagus to his stomach. He will have a 5-10 day window afterward before they can trial food, to ensure no other complications occur in the meantime. 

Max has been quite the little fighter thus far, and his family is trying to remain strong. 

Emily is an elementary school counselor for the Marquette Area Public Schools, and Mike is an assistant track and field coach at Northern Michigan University.  Emily was just shy of qualifying for maternity or family medical leave due to Max’s early arrival, and therefore finances will be tough as she stays by Max’s side through his medical journey, and helps him eventually transition back home. 

Although they were hesitant to accept help initially, as they are the type of people who give freely but have difficulty receiving, they have asked for your help to get them through this difficult time, so that their family can be together. Any little bit will help make this possible, and is truly appreciated. On behalf of Mike, Emily, Penny, and Max... thank you. 

For those who who would like to send a card, you can send it to Emily’s parents house:

N91 W29311 Center Oak Road
Hartland, WI 53029