Mighty Max's Medical Must-Haves

Carinne Phoenix Mossa is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Janine Geneste.

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On September 18, 2013, Maxwell Michael Geneste was born to his proud parents, Jean and Janine (Phoenix) Geneste. The joy of his arrival was especially sweet considering the road to his delivery was difficult to say the least. At just 24 weeks along in her pregnancy, Janine's water broke. She was diagnosed with a rare condition called Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (pPROM) and was required to be on bedrest for six long weeks. This condition occurs in only 2% of pregnancies and the cause is unknown. Her family and friends rallied around her during this time, making her hospital room as "homey" as possible. With fingers crossed, we hoped and prayed that little Max would stay cozy inside his mommy's belly as long as he could. Then, at ten weeks premature, he arrived, weighing in at a miraculous 2 pounds, 11 ounces! Joy mixed with worry once again when it became clear that he experienced a hypoxic ischemic event during birth that resulted in damage to his basal ganglia. This required Mighty Max to remain in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for an agonizing 96 days. Then finally, just before Christmas, Max was released to his parents and headed home. In the years that have followed, Max has grown into the most handsome and sweet little man, though he has also required several surgeries, various medications and now, as he's getting older, medical equipment. Just last month, Max was diagnosed with Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy. This condition has affected him on the grandest scale as it has prevented him from sitting, crawling, standing, or walking on his own. It is our hope that we can support Maxwell (and his parents!) by helping to ease the burden of the associated medical/educational costs. There is shockingly little financial assistance available to this family and the costs are daunting (for example, a needed stroller, the R82, that will help him maintain a proper seated posture, costs $3,200). Any amount you can spare will go directly to Mighty Max's medical must-haves and will make a huge positive impact on the entire Geneste family. On behalf of Jean, Janine and little Max and their entire extended family, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!