Baby Matteo's NICU Care Fundraiser

HI EVERYONE!

My name is Jolene Mendez, first of her name and mother-of-cats. I am a longtime friend of Crystal Rosillo. Some of you may know me, some of you may not. Maybe you are my friend or maybe you are her's. Maybe you are both of our friends? Or maybe you have absolutely no idea who either one of us are and this fundraiser somehow made its way to your feed, lol. Either way thank you for clicking on the link and taking the time to read this! I originally decided to set up this gofundme for my annual birthday fundraiser. Being a catlady, I normally choose an animal rescue, but I decided to help out some humans I love this year instead. Crystal and her micro-preemie baby boy to be exact! I managed to get a few donations from my own generous friends which was totally awesome of them (thanks again you guys!), but my birthday is over with now. I'm hoping though if I keep this fundraiser going a tad bit longer and share it with her friends as well that I can get a few more donations for them. Most of you who know her know what's going on, but for more details as to why I made this fundraiser for them, just keep on reading...

CRYSTAL'S STORY

As long as I've known Crystal she has only ever really wanted to be a mom. Over the years though she has sadly struggled with pregnancy and loss while pursuing her dream of having a child. However after many years of trying, lots of heartache, some medical intervention, and just her simply not giving up she got pregnant! Obviously she and her husband Juan were overjoyed and very excited to meet their little miracle in the coming months.

BABY MATTEO

On Aug 5th 2023 at 6:20am, her sweet little rainbow baby Matteo made his way into the world. However Matteo wasn't actually due for another 3 to 4 months though and OMG he is soooo freaking tiny! He was born only 12 inches long and weighed only 1 pound 11 ounces. He wears the smallest diaper I have ever seen!

Ever since he was born he's been in the NICU fighting for his little life. He has only been able to have been held by his mommy one time (she said that he loves squeezing her finger though). And he loves sucking on q-tips soaked with his mommy's milk.

Matteo spends almost all of his time in an incubator hooked up to a bunch of tubes and wires right now. He has had multiple tests and scans, surgical procedures, a few blood transfusions, and has even had a lumbar puncture. That's alot for such a tiny guy! He has also had some serious complications as well and has been in pretty critical condition. He's been quite the strong and persistent little fighter throughout all of it though, just like his mommy, so I know that he's totally got this. He definitely has a long road ahead of him though. He will be staying in the hospital's NICU most likley until November which is when he was actually due.

CAN YOU PLEASE HELP?

Everyone knows our healthcare system is a joke. A big expensive unfunny joke. And while thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes can be a very powerful thing and are much appreciated (please keep them coming!) they are not going to help pay the massive hospital bills that are coming their way in the not so distant future. Matteo has been hospitalized in the NICU since day 1 and will probably be in there for 4 months total, give or take. That is alot of day/nights, meds, treatments, procedures, formula, extremely over priced medical supplies, cute mini diapers, etc. Hospitals charge for literally everything! Plus there's the medical bills coming for the birth/emergency caesarean section and for Crystal's stay, medications, and treatments as well. She also had some complications and ended up in the ICU for a few days herself. Juan is the only one working right now too so that she can be with their baby everyday (I never met Juan, but he sure sounds like a stand up guy!). I'm certain they are going to need some financial help at some point or another. I also do not want them to have to ever stress about not being able to afford something Matteo really needs while he's in there. So that, everyone, is why I'm here asking you to give away your hard earned money to this beautiful little family. Will you please consider making a donation? Pretty pleeease? If everyone on her friend's list threw in just a few dollars we could meet or even exceed the goal. And wether you give $1 or $100 just know that every single cent matters and every donation is very much appreciated!

THANK YOU!!!