To quote Melanie Wilkes from my favorite book, Gone With The Wind, "The happiest days are when babies come."

With permission from Joshua and Hannah Hidalgo, and Pam Biessenberger, grandmother of Hayes, I have created this GoFundMe account in an effort to help with the surmounting medical bills, both current and future, that this young couple will be faced with.

As a newly married couple, Joshua and Hannah were overjoyed when they found out they were expecting their first child, a baby boy, Hayes Thomas!
At 17 weeks, they received devastating news that their precious baby had Spina Bifida.  Without going into great detail, Spina Bifida is a birth defect in which a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly.  Being devout Catholics, terminating the pregnancy was not a consideration.  They prayed, I prayed, everyone prayed, asking God for guidance and strength.   I suggested they read "Waiting for Eli, A Father's Journey from Fear to Faith written by a friend of mine, Chad Judice, who was facing this exact situation several years ago.  It comforted them and brought them peace, knowing what lay ahead.

On February 8, 2021, at 10:33AM, our beautiful  Hayes Thomas entered this world.  He weighed in at 6 pounds 15.5 oz. and was 19.6 inches long.  He came out crying, pooping and moving those little legs, which was a wonderful sight!

Hayes's Spina Bifida is at L4-S1 and will require numerous neurosurgeries to close the spine and properly reposition his spinal cord.  By doing this, it will relieve pressure that causes pain and discomfort.  The long term effects are unknown at this time but bladder and bowel function as well as functioning of his legs can be impacted.  He will be facing major surgeries throughout this journey which will undoubtedly put tremendous financial strain on this precious young couple.
He will be transferred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas.  Hayes will be under the medical care of a team of world renown neonatal neurosurgeons.

Hannah, who is a Nurse Practitioner and Front Line HealthCare worker had to have an emergency c-section.  She will be out of work for quite some time, first, to recover from her own surgery and then to be in Houston with Hayes.  This will cause great financial strain on Hannah and Josh, as they will have only one income, have face mounting medical bills, simultaneously juggle regular household expenses as well as accommodations in Houston, Texas while Hayes is hopitalized.

THIS is where you can help!!
If you are able to offer support to this beautiful young couple and their precious baby by donating, your graciousness will be forever remembered.
If you are not in a position to donate at this time, we ask that you please share this GoFundMe link with everyone you know and we also ask for your prayers as we begin this very long journey.

Thank you so much for your support.  God Bless You.

Alone, we can do so little.  Together, we can do GREAT things.