Help Bring Our Son Nathaniel Home Safely —. Support for Home Health Nursing

Full story of Nathaniel’s Journey at the bottom.

After 15 long months in the hospital, our son is finally home. This moment is something we’ve dreamed of, prayed for, and worked toward every single day. Having him home means everything to our family — but it also comes with ongoing medical needs that we can’t manage alone.

Our son requires skilled home health nursing to stay safe, stable, and continue healing. These nurses help with daily medical care, monitoring, and support that allows him to be at home instead of in the hospital. While insurance helps, it does not fully cover the amount of care he needs, and the remaining costs add up quickly.

We are asking for help to cover:

* Home health nursing services

* Medical supplies and equipment

* Ongoing care needs as he continues to recover at home

The past 15 months have been emotionally, physically, and financially overwhelming, but bringing our son home has given us renewed hope. Any donation — no matter the size — will go directly toward keeping him safe, cared for, and surrounded by family.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser or keeping our son in your thoughts and prayers means just as much to us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting our family during this next chapter. Your kindness is helping us keep our son where he belongs — at home.

With gratitude,

Nathaniel Arrowood and Family

…………….. {Nathaniel’s journey}………………

Name: Nathaniel

Condition(s): End Stage Renal Disease, Congenital Heart defect, Thrombotic microangiopathy, Endocarditis, Chronic pulmonary insufficiency, pulmonary hypertension, metabolic bone disease

Specialty(s): Neonatology, Nephrology, Cardiology, Hematology, Hepatology, Physical medicine/rehabilitation, Neurology, Pulmonology, ENT, Endocrinology, Genetics, Infectious Disease, Pediatric Surgery

Age at Treatment: Birth

Age Today: 1 Year 5 Months

After spending the last four months of her pregnancy hospitalized, Gudelia gave birth to her baby boy Nathaniel at just 32 weeks. Weighing only 3.5 pounds, Nathaniel (lovingly referred to as “Big Nate” to differentiate him from his father also by the name Nathaniel) had a very traumatic first two weeks of life, including an event requiring resuscitation by the NICU team.

Unfortunately, Nathaniel’s journey was just beginning. As a result of the trauma sustained during his resuscitation, his kidneys stopped working, requiring immediate intervention by the neonatal and nephrology teams. The decision was made to initiate aquapheresis, a gentle form of dialysis, to replace Nathaniel's native kidney function. At the time, and to this day, Nathaniel has been the smallest patient (1600 grams/3.5 pounds) and competes to be the youngest patient to be placed on Aquapheresis at NCH. Nathaniel received this invasive therapy, his own form of life support, from October of 2024 through June of 2025, totaling 8 months. Coming off Aquapheresis and transitioning to peritoneal dialysis was no easy feat. Nathaniel required two surgeries to get the peritoneal catheter after the first attempt failed.

Amid Nathaniel’s renal complications, he was also racing against the clock with a congenital heart defect. Nathaniel also suffers from a complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). The typical timeframe for repairing this type of heart defect is around 6 months, but at 15 months, Nathaniel is still awaiting his repair. Due to this cardiac anomaly Nathaniel’s lungs have also not developed as expected, resulting in him requiring a tracheostomy to help maintain his airway, and help his lungs grow and develop.

Another setback for Nathaniel and his family was the discovery that he has an extremely rare blood disorder called Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). This condition is so rare, that there is only a 1-10 in a million chance of having it. Although there are multiple forms of TMA, through various forms of testing requiring months of waiting for answers, it is believed Nathaniel acquired his form of the disease from his initial resuscitation and the trauma sustained by his organs. Combined with Nathaniel’s other conditions, he proved to truly be a once-in-a-lifetime patient for his team.

Through his entire hospital course spanning well over a year, Nathaniel’s mom and dad almost never missed a day by his side. Even when mom’s health continued to decline after his birth, her mother, Nathaniel’s grandma, was by his side day and night. Through their love, advocacy, and sheer willpower, Nathaniel has proven himself to be a fighter in every battle he has faced. Nathaniel’s hospital course has reformed the way NCH approaches neonatal Aquapheresis and peritoneal dialysis patients, from the lines they place, the nutrition they receive, to the way the patients are able to be held by their families (just to name a few).

No amount of words, or explanation can encompass everything Nathaniel and his family have been through, but through it all they have looked for the silver lining.

Caitlin Yoh, RN

C4B NICU