On December 16th 2014, Matt & Kendra's world was turned upside down when they discovered a problem with their unborn baby via ultrasound.  It has been a very long journey in such a short amount of time.  After many emotional diagnosis that changed from day to day and being told that their baby (Samuel) would not make it past 17 weeks in the womb, they discovered that he has a rare phenomenon called a posterial urethral valve obstruction.  Severe cases such as Samuel's can lead to renal and respiratory failure from lung underdevelopment as result of low amniotic fluid volumes, requiring intensive care and close monitoring.  In this case, life threatening damage had already been done.  Samuel's obstruction was very severe which resulted in his bladder expanding 4-5 times what it should be. The photo below shows his bladder (empty black space to the left) compared to his head (right).


The fluid was damaging his kidneys, putting pressure on his heart and lungs, and slowing important developmental stages with every day that went by.  They were forced to make quick decisions that no parent should have to make and with very little time to weigh the options.  The specialists made it clear that the outlook was not good regardless of their choice.  Some specialists insisted on doing nothing by letting nature take its course which would have ultimately resulted in the loss of their baby.  It was suggested that this was the easy road.  With strong faith and courage, they've been persistent to do everything medically possible to give their baby every fighting chance... no matter the difficulty.

On January 21st (19 weeks), they performed a very high risk sugery that could change everything.  If successful, it would allow baby Samuel to have a fighting chance until birth.  However, it was made clear by specialists that this wasn't a fix and their were many risks that came along with it.  The surgery was performed at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, the same hospital where Samuel would be delivered.  It involved a fetal surgery in utero to place a shunt in the babies bladder which would drain the fluid and prevent any further damage.  It was a 50/50 shot. The surgery was very rare and only successful some of the time.

Our specialists going over the risks before hand.

The shunt from the surgery was only expected to stay in for 10 weeks.  Weekly follow-up appointments in Kansas City showed the shunt was doing its job.  However, sonograms were indicating much of what the DRs expected.  The damage to his Kidneys was very severe and irreversable.  The specialists expected baby to be born with little to no kidney function and require peritoneal dialysis.  They also warned he may not survive birth.  That was only the beginning of their worries as they were also concerned for the babies heart and lung development due to the restricted space.

On April 29th (33 weeks), Kendra's water broke.  She was taken by ambulance on the 2 hour trip to KU Medical Center in Kansas City.


After being admitted into Labor & Delivery, the doctors worked at keeping her and baby stable for as long as possible to gather a plan.  On May 2nd, Kendra started showing signs of infection and the babies life was at immediate risk.  They rushed her in for an emergency c-section where Samuel would be born at 10:56am weighing 4lbs 6oz / 17 inches long.

The specialists along with a very large staff rushed to work in caring for baby Samuel.


Samuel opened his eyes for Daddy.


Samuel is fighting for his life.  His family has a long hard fight ahead of them as well.  He has already proven that he is a fighter but the family could VERY much use your support during this time.  Kendra will be off work with no pay for several months all the while commuting back and forth (4 hours roundtrip) almost daily.  Some days they will have to drive two cars seperately and on the weekends there will be many overnight stays.  With 3 kids at home and expenses that cant be put on hold, this family needs your help.

This campaign was created to help fill a void financially and ease the worries and fear of being able to care for their family.  We are advocating for baby Samuel in the best way that we know how, and your support helps so very much.

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