Tatum Laine's Gastroschisis Journey
LOOK AT THAT SMILE!!!
Hello, my name is ReNa Arrick, my fiance's name is Kyle Ruhr. We share a 2.5 year old daughter together her name is Delainey Jo. We are expecting our second daughter in April 2015! We are all three completely overjoyed and cannot wait to meet her!
However, along with all this excitement also comes a great amount of fear. We are about to face the most terrifying journey in our lives. Our unborn daughter was diagnosed with Gastroschisis at my 16 week check-up. Our journey began there...
What is Gastroschisis?
Gastroschisis is a rare birth defect in which the baby has an opening in the abdominal wall, usually on the right side near the belly button. During pregnancy, part or all of the baby’s intestines protrude through this opening. The intestines float in the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus. The amniotic fluid can irritate the baby’s intestines, sometimes causing them to swell, twist or get shorter. As a result, some babies have lasting intestinal problems. Babies with gastroschisis usually don’t have any other birth defects.
If a baby has a small abdominal wall defect (only part of the intestine is outside the body) she will probably have surgery within 12 to 24 hours of birth. The surgeon will place the intestine back inside the abdomen and close the opening. If a baby has a larger defect, however, the surgery may take place in stages. In some cases, the baby’s intestines may be swollen or the abdomen may not have grown enough to hold them. The surgeon may place the intestines in a tall plastic container called a “silo.” The silo is positioned over the opening in the abdomen. Over several days or weeks, the surgeon will gradually tighten the silo. This helps to push the intestines and other organs back inside the abdomen. Once all the organs are inside, the surgeon will remove the silo and close the opening.
When we found out, immediately thoughts and questions raced through my head and tears started to flow because for the first time ever I realized that I can't help my baby. I cannot fix this. We felt completely helpless. We can ask all the questions in the world and research until our eyes are bloodshot but we have no control and that's why we have to trust in God.
If you would please pray for our daughter first and most importantly! Any money that can be raised will chip off some stress and worry from our already heavy shoulders, we greatly appreciate ANY AMOUNT. Please know that NO amount is too small. No thought is too brief. No prayer is too short. We are not expecting anything, which is why we have chosen to set our goal at $1. Any un-used funds will be donated directly to averysangels.org to support gastroschisis research, to help send carepackages and healing helpers to other gastroschisis warriors and their families.
Please know that Kyle and I both have full-time jobs. However, we are getting concerned about finances as we embrace this journey. We need to be available to be there for both of our daughters and there for one another as well. I plan to go on pregnancy leave, then once that time is up, I have been saving my personal and vacation time, when that has been used up I will have to take unpaid time off. Recovery will be a day by day process and we will not know for sure how long we will be in the hospital. We expect that there will be many long days/nights and we might need a hotel room close by as we live 45mins-1hour from the hospital. The commuting will add up. You can imagine, our medical bills are quickly piling up with checkups every week, soon to be twice a week due to being high risk and the need to monitor closely. After delivery, there will be surgery and recovery expenses for both myself & our daughter.
We have created a blog to help keep our loved ones, friends & potential followers updated throughout Baby Ruhr's Gastroschisis Journey. We hope to raise awareness of Gastroschisis through our own personal story. This is just the beginning of a long journey ahead. At this point, we don't know exactly what to expect or how long her surgery & recovery process will take. Our blog will keep you updated on our journey, educate you further on what this birth defect is and navigate you directly to many support groups such as Avery's Angels Foundation. We ask that you please like/share our journey, donate if possible and most of all please keep our baby girl in your thoughts and prayers!
BLOG (full story):
https://babyruhrsgastrojourney.wordpress.com
Our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ruhrgastrojourney
Our family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for your donation, but most of all for your continued prayers!
We ask that you PLEASE SHARE this campaign and help us spread our story and spread awareness of this diagnosis, that would mean the world to us!!!
We thank you all in advance,
ReNa, Kyle, Delainey, & Baby Ruhr
For more information about Gastroschisis please visit:
averysangels.org
READ MORE ABOUT OUR STORY & LATEST UPDATES BY FOLLOWING OUR BLOG:
https://babyruhrsgastrojourney.wordpress.com
