Let's Ease Ethan's Expenses

Hi Everyone! I'm so glad you're taking the time to read a little more about Rachel and Trent's journey with baby Ethan.  Ethan was born a couple of weeks early on January 8th, and it has been a rollercoaster of a ride since then.

Right after birth, he was admitted to the NICU. He was aspirating (liquid going into lungs instead of his esophagus), had to be fed through a tube directly to his stomach, and had to be on oxygen. He spent the next (almost) two months there as the doctors ran tests and Ethan improved. They finally got the go ahead to head home on February 28th.

Even though they went home, the sigh of relief didn't quite come. He still had to be on oxygen while sleeping, wasn't eating well (which landed another hospital stay), and they had all the other issues of new parents (hello lack of sleep and lots of cries).

On April 12th, their world got rocked again. Ethan stopped breathing. Rachel, being the Wonder Woman that she is, performed CPR on baby Ethan and got him to start breathing again before the paramedics arrived. I, for one, CAN NOT even imagine having to do CPR on my three-month-old baby. As you may have guessed, they ended up back in the hospital and have been there since. The doctors have been running test after test to see why he's still aspirating and why they can't get him off of the oxygen. Right now, they are currently waiting to hear back from insurance to try and get Ethan transferred to a new hospital that has more specialization in pediatric care (out of state, no less). Right now, that is looking like a $4500 cost to them out of pocket.

As you can imagine, this can and has taken its toll in so many ways. I know a lot of people want to help but aren't sure how. I think one thing we can always do is send a message just letting them know you are thinking about them. After reading their story, I hope you can understand why you may not have received a response back. I know they whole-heartedly appreciate your concern, but they just don't have the capacity to reply to everyone.

Another thing is helping them out financially. While Trent is working and therefore sacrificing time with his new baby and family, Rachel hasn't gone back to work yet so she can always be there with Ethan. Luckily, her company has been understanding of the situation. Rachel's wonderful mom, Susan, has temporarily uprooted her life and moved from Florida to Nevada to stay and help them out. If you have ever gone to the doctor for so much as a cold, you know how expensive it can be. Now imagine what they are going to get in the mail when the bills start rolling in and currently only one income to support them all. They're also currently paying for insurance through COBRA each month. If you've used COBRA before, you know how pricey that is, too (we're talking $2000/month just for insurance). Holy Moly!

I know I'm not the only one that loves Rachel, Trent, and now Ethan so much and think the world of them. So, this is where we all come in! We've set a goal to help them out with some of those expenses. Just know that any donation, big or small, is something that will go a long way for them. Easing the burden of these expenses can remove just a little bit of stress from their insanely stressful life. Their focus should just be on Ethan and getting him to 100%, and then just enjoying being new parents. So let's ease those expenses! Please let me know if you have any questions. - Jen Ashe

We love you so much Campbell crew!