If you stumbled upon this page, you probably know that Hannah and Josh Gies are incredible friends to so so many and are a true blessing in their community. You also probably know that they are going through an incredibly challenging time as their son fights for his life. Here is a summary of this journey so far.
Hannah and Josh were expecting their son Judah to arrive around his due date in August, when an unplanned ultrasound led to Hannah being induced about one month early. The ultrasound revealed some sort of cyst in his chest along with fluid around his heart, so the medical doctors wanted the baby out so they could get a better look at what this was rather than wait for it to get worse.
Baby Judah was born at 36 weeks on July 16th. Hannah was induced about 24 hours prior, and it only took Josh leaving the room for a snack for about 5 minutes for Judah to decide it was time to come (and thankfully dad didn't miss the arrival)! Judah was born "strong, feisty, and so beautiful" in Hannah's words.
Judah continued to remain stable in the NICU as the medical doctors sought to determine exactly what was wrong. After Hannah was discharged, Hannah and Josh could no longer be in the NICU with Judah at the same time, which was incredibly difficult. Judah remained strong, though. He quickly proved that he did not need help with his breathing or his feeding wire. The unknowns surrounding this cyst and the fluid around Judah's heart remained a large concern, though.
On July 21st, Judah had an MRI which determined that he has what is called a lymphatic malformation. They also discovered that the fluid around Judah's heart had increased. Since this still was not seeming to impact Judah's vitals, the medical doctors continued to closely monitor Judah in the NICU. At this point Hannah said, "We are taking it day by day and I find myself realizing just how much I need God. We always need Him, but in times like these I guess it's hard to ignore." After days passed, the medical doctors remained very unsure about Judah's scary, but asymptomatic medical issues on the inside (the lymphatic malformation and the fluid around the heart).
As of July 27th, Judah was still stable but there remained hesitation to let Judah go home. As it seemed likely he would be fine, there was still a "what if" factor that no one wanted to risk. The doctors from the NICU consulted with doctors in Boston, a facility much more familiar with this condition. It was agreed upon to try a procedure called sclerotherapy which injects medicine to attack the lymphatic malformation with hopes of reducing its size.
On July 31st, Josh and Hannah were finally able to check in to the local Ronald McDonald House as a local place to stay. They had continued to travel about an hour one way to the hospital each day to see their son. After a lot of waiting, Judah finally had the sclerotherapy on August 12th and handled this like a champ. After an echocardiogram showed that the fluid around Judah's heart had not increased and an ultrasound showed that the lymphatic malformation was already smaller, Judah was cleared to finally go home on August 18th! Hannah and Josh (who were also in the process of moving across town through all of this!) could finally start to settle into a new normal at home with their baby boy. The plan was to go in once a week for Judah to be checked.
Hannah beautifully said, "Judah is a miracle, and we continue to pray and look forward to his complete healing. God is so good, a constant provider and protector through each step."
On August 29th, Judah took a significant turn for the worse. After noticing something was not right, Hannah brought Judah into the pediatrician's office and Judah stopped breathing while in the office. The pediatrician had to do CPR to keep Judah alive and he ended up being transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Hannah said, "After the scariest day, I can honestly say that God was protecting our son. There were so many little things that truly ended up being life or death decisions which in the moment we couldn't have known. The emergency room doctor said 'the stars were aligned for him' and we know the Creator of the stars had a lot to do with it."
Judah now needed a lot of assistance to keep him breathing. Hannah said he was hooked up to everything you can think of to keep him going. At points Judah was even struggling with the ventilator, since his airway was being compressed by the lymphatic malformation. Thankfully, on the morning of August 30th, the medical team was able to go in with a needle and drain off quite a bit of fluid which helped Judah immediately. On August 31st, the decision was made to airlift Judah to Boston Children's Hospital, where they specialize in lymphatic malformations. Hannah and Josh were able to drive to Boston, where they currently are with Judah. They are thankful that COVID restrictions are not as severe in Boston as they were in NY, so they can both now be in Judah's room with him.
The most current update from this evening, September 2nd, is that tomorrow Judah will have his first treatment in Boston. The team plans to put a drain into this lymphatic malformation. They will also do another round of the sclerotherapy, and subsequent doses the next 2 days after. They will then be doing some imaging of the lymph system to get a clearer picture of what they are dealing with. Judah will continue to be monitored for progress.
As Hannah and Josh navigate this absolutely unpredictable season, there have also been many unplanned for financial needs. We ask first for your unending prayers for Judah's healing and wisdom for the medical specialists over his care. But we also ask that you partner with us as we try to ease the financial burden of this season so that Hannah and Josh can focus their full attention on their son. If you feel so led, please consider donating to support this amazing couple and their son who is already inspiring countless lives through his fighting spirit.
Tonight Hannah said, "In the hard moments I just keep reminding myself of all God has done so far. If my God saved Judah on Saturday, surely He will continue to do so. That is our hope and prayer."
May God be praised through Judah's life. All donations will be used to help ease the financial burden of travel, hotel stays, food, and all that Judah needs on this medical journey. Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support for Josh, Hannah, and Judah!
Hannah and Josh were expecting their son Judah to arrive around his due date in August, when an unplanned ultrasound led to Hannah being induced about one month early. The ultrasound revealed some sort of cyst in his chest along with fluid around his heart, so the medical doctors wanted the baby out so they could get a better look at what this was rather than wait for it to get worse.
Baby Judah was born at 36 weeks on July 16th. Hannah was induced about 24 hours prior, and it only took Josh leaving the room for a snack for about 5 minutes for Judah to decide it was time to come (and thankfully dad didn't miss the arrival)! Judah was born "strong, feisty, and so beautiful" in Hannah's words.
Judah continued to remain stable in the NICU as the medical doctors sought to determine exactly what was wrong. After Hannah was discharged, Hannah and Josh could no longer be in the NICU with Judah at the same time, which was incredibly difficult. Judah remained strong, though. He quickly proved that he did not need help with his breathing or his feeding wire. The unknowns surrounding this cyst and the fluid around Judah's heart remained a large concern, though.
On July 21st, Judah had an MRI which determined that he has what is called a lymphatic malformation. They also discovered that the fluid around Judah's heart had increased. Since this still was not seeming to impact Judah's vitals, the medical doctors continued to closely monitor Judah in the NICU. At this point Hannah said, "We are taking it day by day and I find myself realizing just how much I need God. We always need Him, but in times like these I guess it's hard to ignore." After days passed, the medical doctors remained very unsure about Judah's scary, but asymptomatic medical issues on the inside (the lymphatic malformation and the fluid around the heart).
As of July 27th, Judah was still stable but there remained hesitation to let Judah go home. As it seemed likely he would be fine, there was still a "what if" factor that no one wanted to risk. The doctors from the NICU consulted with doctors in Boston, a facility much more familiar with this condition. It was agreed upon to try a procedure called sclerotherapy which injects medicine to attack the lymphatic malformation with hopes of reducing its size.
On July 31st, Josh and Hannah were finally able to check in to the local Ronald McDonald House as a local place to stay. They had continued to travel about an hour one way to the hospital each day to see their son. After a lot of waiting, Judah finally had the sclerotherapy on August 12th and handled this like a champ. After an echocardiogram showed that the fluid around Judah's heart had not increased and an ultrasound showed that the lymphatic malformation was already smaller, Judah was cleared to finally go home on August 18th! Hannah and Josh (who were also in the process of moving across town through all of this!) could finally start to settle into a new normal at home with their baby boy. The plan was to go in once a week for Judah to be checked.
Hannah beautifully said, "Judah is a miracle, and we continue to pray and look forward to his complete healing. God is so good, a constant provider and protector through each step."
On August 29th, Judah took a significant turn for the worse. After noticing something was not right, Hannah brought Judah into the pediatrician's office and Judah stopped breathing while in the office. The pediatrician had to do CPR to keep Judah alive and he ended up being transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Hannah said, "After the scariest day, I can honestly say that God was protecting our son. There were so many little things that truly ended up being life or death decisions which in the moment we couldn't have known. The emergency room doctor said 'the stars were aligned for him' and we know the Creator of the stars had a lot to do with it."
Judah now needed a lot of assistance to keep him breathing. Hannah said he was hooked up to everything you can think of to keep him going. At points Judah was even struggling with the ventilator, since his airway was being compressed by the lymphatic malformation. Thankfully, on the morning of August 30th, the medical team was able to go in with a needle and drain off quite a bit of fluid which helped Judah immediately. On August 31st, the decision was made to airlift Judah to Boston Children's Hospital, where they specialize in lymphatic malformations. Hannah and Josh were able to drive to Boston, where they currently are with Judah. They are thankful that COVID restrictions are not as severe in Boston as they were in NY, so they can both now be in Judah's room with him.
The most current update from this evening, September 2nd, is that tomorrow Judah will have his first treatment in Boston. The team plans to put a drain into this lymphatic malformation. They will also do another round of the sclerotherapy, and subsequent doses the next 2 days after. They will then be doing some imaging of the lymph system to get a clearer picture of what they are dealing with. Judah will continue to be monitored for progress.
As Hannah and Josh navigate this absolutely unpredictable season, there have also been many unplanned for financial needs. We ask first for your unending prayers for Judah's healing and wisdom for the medical specialists over his care. But we also ask that you partner with us as we try to ease the financial burden of this season so that Hannah and Josh can focus their full attention on their son. If you feel so led, please consider donating to support this amazing couple and their son who is already inspiring countless lives through his fighting spirit.
Tonight Hannah said, "In the hard moments I just keep reminding myself of all God has done so far. If my God saved Judah on Saturday, surely He will continue to do so. That is our hope and prayer."
May God be praised through Judah's life. All donations will be used to help ease the financial burden of travel, hotel stays, food, and all that Judah needs on this medical journey. Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support for Josh, Hannah, and Judah!
Organizer and beneficiary
Hannah Gies
Beneficiary