NICU funds for Madi Lee
Donation protected
Madi Lee was born Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 to parents Erik and Sara.
During pregnancy Sara was informed that she had a single artery umbilical cord. After lots of tests it was determined that Madi should be just fine but would continue to be monitored and would maybe just be a little small at birth.
At the end of April at a routine monitoring appointment Sara was unexpectedly sent to the Labor and Delivery unit to be induced 3 weeks early due to excessive fluids building up around the baby. After spending two long hard days waiting to meet Madi she finally arrived, on her Daddy’s birthday.
Sadly, after only a few minutes of Mom and Dad spending time with her, Madi had to go to the NICU because nurses were having trouble clearing her passageways down to her stomach. After tests and X-rays the doctors found that her esophagus was not connected to her stomach. They told us that without undergoing thoracoscopic surgery to reconnect the esophagus, there would be no way she could survive. After 5 hours of surgery Mom and Dad finally got the word that the surgery went really well and that Madi would be evaluated via esophagram in seven days.
Unfortunately, on the seventh day her respiratory rate was higher than her target range, so the doctors had to call off the esophagram and put an oxygen tube in...
After a rough couple days doctors decided they would be able to schedule a full bronchoscopy to get a complete picture of how her respiratory system looked post-op. If things looked good enough, they also wanted to do the esophagram at the same time.
Mom and Dad were beyond happy to report the procedure went super well! No leaks were found in the esophagus and they were finally able to place a feeding tube.
The results of the bronchoscopy revealed why Madi had been having difficulty breathing: she has mild tracheomalacia and moderate bronchomalacia, which means the cartilage in some (not all) of the passageways of her respiratory system is weak when it needs to be strong. They have a respiratory team that will be evaluating her condition and will present Mom and Dad with possible options of approach going forward, but the immediate reality is she won’t be coming home anytime soon. All we do know is that she needs some time to continue healing and get her stomach up to speed while they monitor her respiratory rate and recovery.
Mom and Dad have been with her every day as much as they can. She looks really great otherwise and is far more beautiful than our family ever could have imagined. She has been sleeping peacefully and been really calm considering what she’s going through. We are hoping she will be able to power through some of this on her own without needing another major surgery, but only time will tell.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 Mom and Dad are the only allowed visitors and they even have to go in and see her one at a time. The rest of our family has yet to properly meet her and have only seen her via pictures and videos.
....
Erik and Sara have worked diligently the last few years to get their finances in order, preparing to start their future family. Now faced with not only standard hospital bills, they will also have an unknown amount of bills from testing, operations and weeks of Madi’s stay in the NICU.
As we wait for Madi to be released from the NICU, we are asking for donations to help keep this beautiful family on their feet. Please only give what you can, and if you cannot give, please help by sharing this. We speak for those who love and care for Erik and Sara; when Madi is released all we want is for their family to be able to come home and enjoy their sweet baby without the stress of an unexpected financial burden.
From all of our family, we would like to thank everyone for the prayers, love, and positive thoughts! Everyone’s support is appreciated and needed for Madi’s recovery.
During pregnancy Sara was informed that she had a single artery umbilical cord. After lots of tests it was determined that Madi should be just fine but would continue to be monitored and would maybe just be a little small at birth.
At the end of April at a routine monitoring appointment Sara was unexpectedly sent to the Labor and Delivery unit to be induced 3 weeks early due to excessive fluids building up around the baby. After spending two long hard days waiting to meet Madi she finally arrived, on her Daddy’s birthday.
Sadly, after only a few minutes of Mom and Dad spending time with her, Madi had to go to the NICU because nurses were having trouble clearing her passageways down to her stomach. After tests and X-rays the doctors found that her esophagus was not connected to her stomach. They told us that without undergoing thoracoscopic surgery to reconnect the esophagus, there would be no way she could survive. After 5 hours of surgery Mom and Dad finally got the word that the surgery went really well and that Madi would be evaluated via esophagram in seven days.
Unfortunately, on the seventh day her respiratory rate was higher than her target range, so the doctors had to call off the esophagram and put an oxygen tube in...
After a rough couple days doctors decided they would be able to schedule a full bronchoscopy to get a complete picture of how her respiratory system looked post-op. If things looked good enough, they also wanted to do the esophagram at the same time.
Mom and Dad were beyond happy to report the procedure went super well! No leaks were found in the esophagus and they were finally able to place a feeding tube.
The results of the bronchoscopy revealed why Madi had been having difficulty breathing: she has mild tracheomalacia and moderate bronchomalacia, which means the cartilage in some (not all) of the passageways of her respiratory system is weak when it needs to be strong. They have a respiratory team that will be evaluating her condition and will present Mom and Dad with possible options of approach going forward, but the immediate reality is she won’t be coming home anytime soon. All we do know is that she needs some time to continue healing and get her stomach up to speed while they monitor her respiratory rate and recovery.
Mom and Dad have been with her every day as much as they can. She looks really great otherwise and is far more beautiful than our family ever could have imagined. She has been sleeping peacefully and been really calm considering what she’s going through. We are hoping she will be able to power through some of this on her own without needing another major surgery, but only time will tell.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 Mom and Dad are the only allowed visitors and they even have to go in and see her one at a time. The rest of our family has yet to properly meet her and have only seen her via pictures and videos.
....
Erik and Sara have worked diligently the last few years to get their finances in order, preparing to start their future family. Now faced with not only standard hospital bills, they will also have an unknown amount of bills from testing, operations and weeks of Madi’s stay in the NICU.
As we wait for Madi to be released from the NICU, we are asking for donations to help keep this beautiful family on their feet. Please only give what you can, and if you cannot give, please help by sharing this. We speak for those who love and care for Erik and Sara; when Madi is released all we want is for their family to be able to come home and enjoy their sweet baby without the stress of an unexpected financial burden.
From all of our family, we would like to thank everyone for the prayers, love, and positive thoughts! Everyone’s support is appreciated and needed for Madi’s recovery.
Organizer and beneficiary
Donna Spatafore
Organizer
Clovis, CA
Sara Kirchner
Beneficiary