Nick, Becca, & Barrett Herzberg

Sarah Herzberg is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nickolas Herzberg.

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On May 31, 2022, Nick and Becca unexpectedly welcomed their son Barrett into the world. After a rapid escalation of an increasingly harrowing week of hospital visits, Becca and Nick were life-flighted from Fairbanks to Anchorage for an emergency c-section to save Becca and baby boy Barrett's lives. Thanks to the fantastic team of doctors and nurses at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, both Becca and Barrett are here with us and well!

This experience, of course, has been an incredibly traumatic and stressful way to bring their child into the world. No parent anticipates spending weeks or months in the NICU with their newborn. There is a long road ahead of many days and weeks sure to be full of joy and moments of difficulty for Nick and Becca. Our goal is to alleviate every possible outside stressor so their focus can be where it needs to be, helping Barrett grow and get strong enough to come home.

Of course, one of the most significant stressors is financial, as Nick and Becca were planning to continue to work until Barrett's due date. With the loss of Becca's income, the unknown but significant medical bills over the next 10-12 weeks in the hospital, their regular living expenses, and travel costs to fly Nick down to Anchorage on weekends, they need our help.

The financial numbers we know and can anticipate right now are:

$3,300 for June housing in the Hickel House connected to Providence Hospital (after the first month, institutionalized Medicaid covers this expense)
$4,300/month of their typical living expenses and bills
Cost of flying Nick down each weekend to be with Becca and Barrett
Unknown cost of Life-Flight helicopter from Fairbanks to Anchorage (Nationwide average in 2020 was $24,500)
Unknown cost of additional medical bills for the next 10-12 + weeks in the NICU

The birth of a child should always be a sacred time when friends and family come around the new parents to share the load so that mom and dad can bond, adjust, and have precious time with their newborn baby. For Nick and Becca, those needs are magnified by a thousand. Barrett needs his mama and daddy to be present, and they need to have the mental and emotional capacity to support one another and him through this journey. We can't change what's happened, and we can't make it go away, but we can work together to bless them by allowing them to breathe, not worry about how their going to pay the bills, and showing them just how loved they are. Alleviating the financial stress they face is the most significant way we can help share this burden and walk this road with them in practical ways.

Would you consider giving so they can make this journey without a financial burden hanging over them? I guarantee they will never forget your kindness when they need it most.