Hope for Ryann Rose - Our Little Heart Warrior

On June 7, Emma and Casey Jenkins learned that their second daughter, Ryann Rose, would be born with a serious heart defect. While the diagnosis is subject to change once born and more testing can be done, the doctors' best guess is that she has Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia and MAPCAs (major aortopulmonary collateral arteries) -- called "TOF" for short. TOF is a combination of four distinct defects, including the absence of a pulmonary artery and a hole between the two heart ventricles. If this diagnosis is accurate, the primary concern is in Ryann's ability to circulate oxygenated blood throughout her body.

Discovering this diagnosis before she was born was a miracle in and of itself but she -- and the whole Jenkins family -- have a long road of open heart surgeries ahead of them.

Emma will be induced on August 28 at Denver Children's Hospital. Once born, Ryann will stay in the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. During that time, if she remains stable, the doctors will learn as much about her heart as possible to develop the best plan. Options on the table for now include: one very lengthy surgery, 3-4 open heart surgeries throughout her first year, travel to Stanford University Hospital for surgery, etc. Regardless of the plan for her first year, Ryann will need multiple heart surgeries throughout her life. Each surgery will be 3-12 hours long and require a 2-3 week stay in the CICU.

The Jenkins family needs support - particularly financially. Colorado does not offer paid maternity leave or disability leave and Emma's job does not provide paid leave during Ryann's surgeries, so the Jenkins are facing significant income loss in this first year. There is also concern about paying their many medical bills once the Jenkins' out-of-pocket max resets in the next calendar year. The Jenkins live just close enough to the Children's Hospital that they do not qualify for charity housing near the hospital, so they will need to drive 45 minutes each way to the hospital or find temporary housing plus childcare for their 3 year old daughter, Linnaea.

This group will provide opportunities to raise financial support for the Jenkins Family to support them in this next year. Funds will be used to pay medical bills throughout Ryann's first year, to offset loss of income when in the CICU, to cover gas for their 45-minute drive to the Children's Hospital, to pay for childcare for Linnaea, to provide meals in the hospital / on the road, and to cover other needs as they arise.

The Jenkins Family also needs prayer. You can sign up at the following link to join their prayer chain. Beyond praying for the family generally, we would love to have someone committed to pray for Ryann during each half hour of her surgeries in the coming year.

https://rb.gy/xggxy6

We will use this page to share updates about Ryann's birth, surgeries, and recovery. You can also follow the Jenkins Family story more on Emma's and Casey's Instagram profiles (@emmakins_ and @caseykins__).

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

Thank you for your help in reaching our fundraising goal to support Emma, Casey, Linnaea, and Ryann Jenkins.