Help us say goodbye to our sweet Bailey

Helping my cousin Julia and her family raise funds to lay their precious Princess Bailey to rest. Bailey left us on March 19th at the young age of 13 after a recent lupus diagnosis. Bailey was admitted into the ICU in Rochester on Sunday, being treated for fluid around her heart. Sadly, our family had to come home without her and now face the financial burden that comes with saying our final goodbyes. Any help would be greatly appreciated and we thank everyone in advance for their kind thoughts and prayers.

Bailey Elsie Jimenez was born to Julia and Martin Jimenez on July 27, 2011. At just 26 weeks' gestation, Bailey was born at a petite 1 lb 5 oz. The next 4.5 months, Bailey called Rochester's Methodist Hospital her home. The family was so grateful to finally bring her home to St. James.

Bailey attended school at St. Paul Lutheran Church in St. James, where she was currently attending 7th grade. As Bailey grew, so did her love for all things Disney. Her recent favorite was Stitch. We were currently in the process of planning Bailey's Beauty and the Beast-themed quinceanera party. She had picked out the most beautiful dress that we knew would have turned her into the most beautiful princess she already was.

Over the past 2-3 years, Bailey had seen doctors and specialists for stomach issues and joint pain issues. We were informed that the joint pain was growing pains and nothing was found wrong with her stomach. The end of November, Bailey started losing her hair; we were referred to a specialist at that time in Rochester, but the soonest she could be seen was March 20th.

On March 4th, Bailey was back in the ER with a swollen mouth and fever, among other symptoms. They found that she had strep throat and was treated and released. At that time, Bailey was referred to another specialist to see if she had allergies that were causing the swelling in her lips. That appointment was scheduled for today, March 19th.

On Sunday, Bailey was once again brought into the ER, where it was discovered that there was fluid around her heart. Bailey was transferred by ambulance to Rochester St. Mary's Pediatrics ICU. On Monday, a procedure was performed to remove the fluid from Bailey's heart. The fluid continued to return, but a stint was in place. On Tuesday, Bailey had an MRI to help confirm the diagnosis. The MRI helped confirm that Bailey was suffering from lupus, and the doctors stated they figured it developed years prior. This diagnosis explained the stomach pain, joint pain, and other symptoms Bailey had lived with over the past 3 years.

On Wednesday, March 19th, things started to take a turn. Bailey's breathing became labored, and a CPAP machine was used to help Bailey breathe. That was a struggle, as if you knew Bailey, you knew that if she didn't want something touching her, it didn't touch her. Unfortunately, Bailey's heart was not strong enough, and it stopped beating. CPR was started, and the doctors were able to restart Bailey's heart for ten minutes, but we lost her again. For over an hour, doctors and nurses worked to keep Bailey with us, but sadly, efforts were not enough, and Bailey left this earthly life, and our hearts shattered.