Hi, my name is Ashley, and I remember the moment my friend Stephanie called to tell me that she and her husband, Javy, were expecting! They were beginning their journey with Julia!

Stephanie was beyond thrilled as any soon-to-be parent would be! Everything was going fine until they noticed some irregularities in her twenty week ultrasound. One irregularity they found was a hole in her heart and some additional space in her brain. Since then, they have partaken in many ultrasounds and appointments with high-risk pregnancy doctors to closely monitor her pregnancy and to make sure their baby girl was doing okay. Soon the doctors started to prepare them with the idea that their little girl may have Trisomy 18. Their little girl kept on growing and getting strong until they decided she needed to be delivered via C-section on June 7th, 2021. Julia was born completely defying the odds! She is proof prayers and miracles do exist!

The doctors were right. She was born with full Trisomy 18 and a hole in her heart. Most babies with Trisomy 18 don't survive past delivery, but Julia has a strong spirit in her! She stayed in the NICU several weeks before going home on oxygen and a feeding tube. A few weeks passed and she needed to go back into the hospital because she was turning red and not getting enough oxygen. After three long weeks in the hospital, they miraculously got approval to go home once again.

Besides multiple hospital visits, Julia is on high flow oxygen all the time and eats through a feeding tube because the hole in her heart tires her out easily making eating and breathing a challenge.

My hope is to help this beautiful family out, so they can enjoy being new parents without the financial burdens that come with all the health care that Julia needs. If you are able to help, please consider a donation and share this with others. If you are unable to donate, please pray for them and share this with others. Thank you so much for helping this beautiful family out.