I am starting this fundraiser for two of the kindest, most giving, caring individuals, Gillian and Luke. Newlywed high school sweethearts, that finally married this past fall after more than a decade together, were ecstatic to announce their pregnancy with a sweet little baby girl. After experiencing a fairly normal pregnancy in the beginning, Gillian started to have symptoms of pre-eclampsia early on in her third trimester. Things escalated rapidly. They spent about a month in and out of doctor's offices and the hospital, sometimes days apart between visits.

At 34 weeks and 2 days, Gillian was transported to Mercy Medical center for an emergency induction, with pre-eclampsia with severe features. After a 2 day long, painful, failed induction, doctors had to make the call for an emergency c-section. Thankfully, our sweet Matilda Jo was born healthy at 34 weeks and 4 days old, and Gillian made it out of surgery okay.

Born at only 4 lbs 3 oz, Matilda has fought hard to grow and do what she needs to do to go home with her mommy and daddy, however every journey has it's ups and downs, and our sweet little miracle is learning that early. Every day presents new challenges in Matilda's journey to resolving her feeding issues and being able to leave the NICU and finally go home with her family.

As of today, June 4, 2022, Matilda has been in the NICU in Baltimore for 9 days. During this time, her parents have not left her side, residing in Baltimore so they are able to be with their daughter. This has meant both Gillian and Luke have been out of work, since before Matilda was born, due to the multiple hospitalizations that ocurred prior to her induction. Both Gillian and Luke work in public service jobs, which shows their huge, kind hearts, but unfortunately also means they do not have the ideal parental leave situation, as is common in America. Luke also works 2 part-time side jobs to support his family, which he has also been unable to work for weeks. The shortened time to prepare financially due to Matilda's early arrival, coupled with worsening economic conditions, the cost of food and gas traveling back and forth from their lodging to the hospital multiple times a day, and the mounting medical bills associated with having a premature baby in the NICU is enough to make any family stressed.

The last thing Luke and Gillian need to be stressing about right now is where their next mortgage payment will come from, or their next meal. All their attention needs to be on their sweet little bundle of joy, Matilda Jo, and Gillian's recovery. That's why I have put together this fundraiser to help a young, new family be able to comfortably put all of their attention to what matters the most, their sweet baby girl. Please consider giving whatever you can; even a little bit can help.