Maeva Jo: Beautiful Heart Warrior

Maeva Josephine: “beautiful heart warrior”

At one week old, Maeva Jo had open heart surgery for her Congenital Heart Defect (CHD).

During Grace's 20 week anatomy scan, Keith and Grace learned of Maeva Jo’s CHD called Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) and Ventricle Septal Defect (VSD). After many, many appointments and reassurance from an extensive team of physicians, they remained hopeful and certain this was one of the “most common and easiest” CHD’s to correct. That they would be home with Maeva Jo within a matter of 2 weeks after her surgery. Sadly, that is not their case.

Within a few hours after her surgery, Maeva Jo started to decline. She was unable to stabilize her vital signs despite medication and interventions by the CICU team. They turned her room into an OR and ultimately she was placed on ECMO, which is life support.

ECMO is complicated and comes with many risks, but the goal is to support her body functions while letting her heart rest from a massive surgery for such a tiny body. She also has an open (covered) chest from her surgery, chest tubes and drains and an ET tube to help her breathe.

"Over the last two weeks- we have experienced the highest of highs and the absolute lowest of lows.

From the euphoric feeling you get from meeting and holding your newborn baby for the first time to a parent’s worst nightmare that you may walk out of the hospital without your child in your arms… we have been on an emotional roller coaster….. from tiny (BIG) wins to waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sometimes within the same hour. You get the feeling of being constantly punched In the gut but hanging on by a thread. Yet we remain hopeful and pray for her little heart to heal."

Hello, I'm Jill, Maeva's aunt. As I'm creating this GoFundMe, sweet little Maeva is in surgery to remove the ecmo machine and to close most of her chest. She still has a long way to go for recovery, but this is a step forward. We pray! Big prayers for her and her parents as they are going through what no parents should ever have to!

There will be thousands and thousands of dollars in medical bills and transportation bills coming for my brother and his little family. There will be many missed days of work to be with their sweet daughter while she fights for her life. Please pray for them.

Please send all your good vibes their way and if you are able, please add to their funds. If you are unable, please share this as much as you can.

Any amount and all shares are very appreciated!