This is Jasper.  He celebrated his 1st birthday in May.  This smiley, sweet face is what he shows the world most of the time.

Tragically, on Tuesday, November 13th baby Jasper was in and out of the kitchen with his big sister while his momma Amanda was heating water in the tea kettle on the stove.   When she saw the water was boiling, Amanda poured some into her cup and set it on the kitchen island while she turned around to put the kettle back on the stove. In that split-second Jasper was able to reach the cup of boiling water.  Amanda quickly scooped Jasper into her arms, but it was too late.  The hot water hit his face and body; scalding his skin immediately.  Amanda quickly tried to cool him off before she and Daniel (Jasper’s daddy) rushed him to the E.R.

The doctors at St. Francis soon realized they needed to transport Jasper to Riley Hospital.  The doctors and nurses at Riley kept little Jasper sedated due to the amount of pain he was in.  Amanda & Daniel learned that 40% of Jasper’s body was severely burned.  At that time, they didn't know the degree of Jasper’s burns since some of his body is only partly burned.  We do know the water burned the front of his face and down the left side of his body.  The hot water hit his ear and face first; since he was reaching up to grab the cup from the kitchen island. 

When they finally made it to the burn unit at Riley, Daniel & Amanda learned that burns are no longer labeled by degree but instead it’s called “tough tissue”.  Shortly after being admitted in the burn unit, Baby Jasper was put in the tub so that the nurses could wash all the dead skin away and then wrap his little body.  He still can’t open his eyes due to the swelling and puffiness of his face.  He was on meds through the night into Wednesday morning. 

On Wednesday morning, Baby Jasper was able to take oral meds but soon threw them up.  The nurses put ointment on his cheeks and will be giving him baths and changing his bandages often.

Midday on Wednesday, Daniel & Amanda were told Baby Jasper will probably spend a month or more in the burn unit at Riley. His chest was burned more than any other part of his little body.  The doctors say they need to wait a few days to allow the burns to “show their true colors” before they can give more of an update.  Right now, they can’t check his eyes because they are very swollen.

My husband, Alex, works with Daniel & Amanda which is why we wanted to come together to help their family during this time of need.  They are hard working parents of 4 kiddos in age ranging from 10 years to 18 months.  They are awesome people and are like family to us.  Everything they do is for their children.  And, like many of us they rely on both incomes to make ends meet.  They haven’t been on the job long enough to have a lot of PTO saved up; and we’re sure they will need to miss some days of work in the coming month or more to be with Baby Jasper. 

It’s never a great time for tragedy to strike like it did this week – and we would never wish anything like what Baby Jasper is going through on anyone – but with the holidays right around the corner, it couldn’t have been a worse time for Daniel and Amanda to miss work. Regardless, family comes first.  We hope this collection will help ease any financial burdens that may arise so that they can focus on Baby Jasper and their family.  No one needs to worry about finances while their child is going through such pain.  No donation is too small.  Every prayer and dollar will go a long way to help Daniel & Amanda comfort Baby Jasper while taking the time they need to be with their sweet family.