Prayers for Nana's Healing and Baby Cairo

Hi everyone! My name is Michelle & I’m writing this to share Chris & Anawzhe aka my bestie “Nana’s” story. We need any & all prayer warriors to squeeze in a prayer for this family! Pictured together is Nana & Chris! Together they were starting a family & things were falling into place perfectly. Nana chased her dream to become a RN. Her last year in nursing school was definitely the hardest as this involved studying endlessly, balancing a full-time job on nights at the women’s unit, lots of prayer, & squeezing in time to soak in every milestone of her pregnancy. This all paid off! With her huge support system & family by her side, she graduated from ICC on May 17th, receiving a degree in “Associates of Applied Science” with honors in nursing! We are all so proud of her!! All her hard work had paid off! We frequently spoke on the phone & her plan was to take her NCLEX June 11th right before baby’s due date, which would have been June 16th. Baby Cairo had other plans! She was admitted to the women’s hospital on June 8th after showing signs of labor. It didn’t take her long to reach 8cm. At that time, she decided to receive an epidural. Nothing could have prepared us for the following. She received her epidural and soon after, was unable to lay back comfortably because her chest felt heavy. At this point, the decision was made to medicate her once more. (Not knowing the medication was traveling opposite. It traveled to her heart first.) This caused her to immediately go into cardiac arrest, ultimately leading to an emergency c-section, intubation, & hemorrhaging. A traumatic experience for everyone involved. Baby was taken straight to NICU & was placed on CPAP. Nana, on the other hand, is currently on the ventilator receiving multiple blood transfusions and is stable. Two small air pockets were found on her brain, but it should reabsorb & not cause any further issues. This will be a long recovery for Nana. We are all believers & firm in our faith. We are putting it all in God’s hands & we ask for prayers at this time for peace, comfort, & healing. If you’re able to donate, this will go towards medical expenses for mama & baby. We want Chris & Nana both to be able to focus on raising their first baby together without the thought of a huge financial burden hovering over their head & the immediate need to return to work! She’s going to dedicate a lot of time to the baby & studying to pass her NCLEX. I will continue to share updates!

June 9th: Nana is still on the ventilator. She received a blood transfusion. At this time she’s had a total of 4 bags of blood. This afternoon was the very first time we were able to place her baby’s blanket on her chest. We also made sure to play a video of her baby so she could hear his cry. She appears to be in pain occasionally, but that’s being managed with medication. Baby Cairo is off CPAP & stable! Praise the Lord!

June 10th: Nana remains on the ventilator and is making progress! She’s responding to touch. She’s also getting around to opening her eyes some. Baby Cairo is stable & hoping to discharge soon. He’s being loved on & held tight by his grandparents & Dad!

June 11th: Nana is now receiving lasix in efforts to get fluid off her. She also had her lungs cleaned out today. At this time she’s not tolerating tube feedings & is vomiting. Feeding will be attempted again in the morning. We’re praying it’s a minor setback & nothing major! The good news BABY CAIRO was discharged this afternoon! He Is at home with daddy!

June 12: air pockets on her brain are completely gone! She’s following commands & following movement with her eyes. She also was able to see baby Cairo today through FaceTime that kept her engaged for several minutes. Looks like we’re headed into the right direction all glory to God!

June 13: what a special day! Arrangements were made to have baby Cairo come see his mommy. Nana & Cairo were able to share their 1st skin to skin contact safely.

June 14: Today is the day! Nana is extubated & breathing well on her own. She is extremely weak & also has not said a word just yet.. Baby Cairo is growing & thriving at home!

June 15: Nana now has right sided pneumonia & still has not said a word. Speech therapy & PT/OT have been consulted! Routine breathing treatments are being initiated. Nana had a bad seizure this afternoon & is back on the ventilator please continue to keep her & her family in your prayers.

June 16: Nana is back off the ventilator. some brain damage has been confirmed with an EEG. At this time we are unsure of the extent of it.. She’s young and a fighter.. God has control & we’re praying for a miracle

June 17: Nana remains off the ventilator. The search is on to find the perfect place for her to have rehabilitation at a facility that specializes in (TBI)/ brain injuries. Baby Cairo remains with Dad & is growing by the day!

June 18/19: Nana failed her swallow study, so she remains on tube feedings. On a brighter note she busted out of ICU & is now on a neuro unit! She is alert & trying her hardest to communicate with everyone! She’s got a long road ahead of her with all the therapy in the future but she’s excited to start tackling them head on!