Help us stay near baby Zev

Hey everyone, this is the Phonsons, Matt/Zidek Phelan and Carrie Johnson. The newest Phonson was just born on Sunday, February 20 at 11pm right in our living room. Zev Hazard Joon Phelan came into our world at a robust 9 pounds and we were immediately in love. After our midwife and doula checked his oxygen levels though it became clear that something was definitely wrong. Carrie meanwhile had a pulse hovering around 140 after the birth, and couldn’t sit up without being so lightheaded she almost passed out. Paramedics were called, and mom and baby were whisked to the hospital with dad driving anxiously behind. Our local hospital wasn’t able to provide the care he needed, so a team from UVA in Charlottesville came, intubated him and took him over the mountain to their NICU.

We're starting this gofundme to help cover our lodging and food costs in Charlottesville, as well as any expenses not covered by our insurance for Zev’s treatment. Luckily Matt is self employed and we are able to stay in Charlottesville for as long as it takes, but his ability to get work done as we are dealing with this situation is definitely hampered. With our income in flux for an undetermined amount of time we decided to ask for any help that our friends and families can provide.

Zev has been steadily breathing better, though he still needs a lot of assistance. The doctors haven’t been able to give us a concrete timeline, but have said it may be a few weeks before he’s able to breath on his own. In just his first few days he’s made a lot of progress though. We finally got to hold him and just that brief hour or so was one of the best hours of our lives.

Thank you so much for anything you can give, even if it’s just love and positive energy for little Zev. We can’t wait to get him home and to eventually introduce him to the people we care about. Thanks again.