My name is Karla, and I am asking for your support for my granddaughter, Madison, who has been fighting for her life in the NICU for more than 100 days.

Madison was born via emergency C-section at 24 weeks gestation (an entire 16 weeks too early) after numerous complications jeopardized both my daughter’s and granddaughter’s lives. At just 3/4 of a pound and 10.5 inches long, she weighed only 1/3 of a pound more than the smallest baby on record to survive after birth. The outlook for Madison’s survival and quality of life was bleak. She was admitted to the NICU 2 hours from home, and we were told that her odds during her critical first 72hrs of life would depend on her will to live.

At birth she received CPR, was put on a ventilator, and eventually graduated to CPAP, and she’s now on high-flow oxygen. She’s had innumerable procedures, including daily chest X-Rays and countless blood transfusions. She was diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), the leading cause of blindness in babies, and received eye injections to treat the disease. She developed ROP because of the high levels of oxygen she required while on the ventilator. Madison was recently airlifted to the Cleveland Clinic to continue ROP treatment, and her doctor is optimistic that with close monitoring and laser surgery, she will have full vision.

Madison has been fighting as hard as she can to come home, and her parents are committed to doing everything they can to keep her moving toward that goal. Her mother, Victoria, has been working remotely from Madison’s hospital room for the past few months to support and care for her baby. Her doctors have indicated that this daily nurturing has helped Maddie to thrive and grow. Her father, Kameron, has returned to work, and he drives to visit his family whenever he is not working.

My daughter and son-in-law’s story is especially heartbreaking considering the tragedies they have already endured. After suffering from infertility for many years, they pursued fertility treatment. We were all elated to learn at the beginning of the Covid pandemic that they were expecting my first grandchild, Olivia. Unfortunately, Victoria went into labor at 20 weeks pregnant due to a rare blood clotting condition that was previously undiagnosed. Our precious Olivia was born and passed away within a few minutes. She was so small that nothing could be done to save her. A few days later, we almost lost Victoria when she suffered a pulmonary embolism after a clot broke off from a massive blood clot in her heart.

After a lengthy recovery, she was cleared to resume fertility treatment and suffered several early miscarriages. They proceeded to IVF treatment and became pregnant with Madison Hope, whose middle name was chosen in honor of her sister Olivia and the other babies they lost.

I am asking for help to ease the financial burden on Madison’s parents so they can focus on bringing her home. They face significantly higher expenses than those generally associated with having a baby. There will be substantial medical bills, various medication costs, unique preemie formula, medical equipment such as heart rate/oxygen monitoring devices, and occupational and physical therapy equipment. She will have specialist appointments that are hours from home. Madison will also need to return to Cleveland in 6-9 months for laser eye surgery.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Madison Hope’s journey in the NICU.

Our family thanks you for any support that you are willing to provide!