On the behalf of Mike and Alisha's family, we wanted to share the journey they have been on with the birth of their beautiful boy, Cooper William.
At 30 weeks, Alisha was put on hospital bed rest at Waukesha Memorial hospital. The doctors determined 34 weeks would be the goal for Cooper to reach his potential growth, in womb.
On May 11th, Cooper was born via c-section at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. His underdeveloped lungs were the concern from the start. The initial scans at Waukesha Memorial showed a mass of some kind in his left lung. In consulting with Children's Hospital, they felt it was best to leave Cooper in Waukesha to give him time to grow, with the intention of a follow up with Children's after he was released from the hospital. That plan changed last week, as Cooper's breathing was not improving and he began having episodes of holding his breath, turning blue and having nurses rushing in to get him to breath again. He was transferred to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee, on June 3rd.
Children's Hospital ran an assortment of scans and tests, and the CT scan came back with the news that the mass in his left lung was not actually a mass at all. It was a diaphragmatic hernia. Which is basically a hole in his diaphragm causing his spleen and part of his stomach to be pulled up to his lung. It's squishing the lung and making it difficult for him to breath. (Giving the illusion of the mass they initially saw and at the same time explaining why his breathing was not progressing)
As scary as all of this sounds, the prognosis for Cooper is very good, it's just going to take some time. He will require surgery, which is scheduled for June 10th, and there will be follow up appointments to monitor him in the years to come.
This journey has been an emotional roller coaster for Mike and Alisha. It has also come with unexpected expenses and additional time off of work. They've had to divide and conquer with their time to help keep life as normal as possible for their sweet daughter, Charlotte. It's been a special thing watching them all grow and navigate this experience together.
Mike and Alisha have been very thankful for the support of family and friends that jumped in to help with meals, texts, calls, visits and the play dates that helped Charlotte stay occupied. They have felt all of the prayers being sent their way as well!
Family and friends are working to put together a benefit to assist with the added expenses. Stay tuned for details on that. In the mean time, we are kicking off this gofundme for some immediate financial support. The goal is to try to take away the financial stress, so they can focus on taking care of their family.
Please keep those prayers coming!