I am requesting help on behalf of my grandson Spencer and his parents (my daughter Amber and my son-in-law Garrett). As I write this, Spencer is 4 months old. He has spent all but four days of his life in the intensive care unit. Currently, he is in the UCLA pediatric intensive care unit. He has been there for 6 weeks. In the last six weeks, he had a cardiac arrest, was placed on full cardiac and respiratory life support, placed on dialysis, had continuous seizures,and underwent open heart surgery in which his chest was left open for 9 days post-surgery. He has shocked and amazed the medical staff with his progress, but he still has a long journey ahead before he will be able to safely return home. He currently still has a breathing tube in place. In the midst of this extremely difficult situation, about 10 days ago, my daughter Amber was in an accident on her way to see Spencer and fractured her spine. All donations will go directly towards medical expenses for Spencer and towards living expenses for Amber and Garrett in order to allow them to remain in close proximity to Spencer while he continues to recover. For those of you who would like to know Spencer’s story, please read the Spencer’s Journey section.

Expenses and what you are donating to:

Amber and Garrett have diligently faced the financial side of this situation, and despite making every effort and maxing out every avenue (PTO, insurance, money on hand, etc), it is financially devastating.

Amber and Garrett live about 90 minutes from the hospital that Spencer is staying in. Because of the emergent situation, it is not safe for them to be that far away. Even if they felt comfortable being that far away from Spencer, the commute would be impossible due to Amber’s broken back. They are currently on the waitlist for the Ronald McDonald house, however this is still 45 minutes away from UCLA, and under California law it is illegal for Amber to drive while in a back brace.

The hotel they have been staying in costs 5,500 dollars monthly on top of their existing mortgage. Garrett is currently on a paid family leave. However, without financial assistance, he will need to return to work on November 27 as he will no longer be getting paid through the state. At that point, Amber will be unable to transport herself to and from the hospital for approximately three months while her spine heals. In addition, because they are staying away from home, it is extremely costly for meals which have to be eaten out throughout the day. Another expense that has recently come up is that because Amber has been on leave from work since Spencer was born, her insurance benefits must now be paid out-of-pocket, or she will lose them.

Spencer’s Journey

Amber is my oldest daughter. She has always been an independent and driven person. She and Garrett found each other at a very young age and were married when Amber was 23 years old. Amber was always focused on her career goals. She attended nursing school and quickly climbed the career ladder. I tried to patiently wait for grandchildren to arrive, but Amber and Garrett consistently stated they were happy with their lives and that children were not going to be a part of their journey. At some point I accepted that this was their decision.

Pregnancy & Diagnosis

You can imagine my surprise and elation when Amber called me last December to tell me she was pregnant. We talked every day about the upcoming adventure and the journey towards her becoming a mother. Fairly early in the pregnancy, Amber called me in tears as she explained that Spencer had been diagnosed with Down Syndrome and a serious heart condition.

Doctors initially thought Spencer would not make it to birth and felt that the best decision might be to end the pregnancy. After receiving a second opinion, Amber and Garrett decided to continue the pregnancy and do everything they could to give Spencer a healthy and happy life.

Premature Birth: Two Months Early

On July 8, 2022 I received a panicked phone call from Garrett informing me that Amber was being rushed in for an emergency C-section because Amber had gone into pre-term labor. Within an hour of labor starting, Amber was fully dilated, and Spencer was coming out breech. I will never forget Garrett’s words and voice when he said, “Amber is being taken into emergency c-section. She wants you here. Get on the next flight, and I will pay for it.” Hours after receiving that call, my husband and I drove 13 hours to get to Amber, Garrett, and Spencer. Spencer was born two months early.

NICU>Meeting My Grandson>UCLA

Spencer spent 80 days in the NICU. During this time, I stayed at my daughter’s house to help her with everything while she spent 10-12 hours every day with Spencer in the NICU. Only parents were allowed to visit Spencer in the NICU, so I had to wait for a very long time to meet my boy. Amber and Garrett surprised me by bringing him home unexpectedly. I was immediately in love with this beautiful boy. I already loved him more than words could describe, but I loved him even more after meeting him face to face. Spencer was home with us for four days before he started to have breathing problems. Amber and Garrett took him back to the hospital, and he was taken via helicopter to UCLA the following day. He has been in UCLA since then.

The Future

As written above, Spencer has gone through so much and fought so hard every day to stay here in this world. At this point, the future is still uncertain. Spencer may need another heart surgery before he is stable enough to come off of the ventilator. There is a possibility that his vocal cords are paralyzed. He may also end up being okay for the time being, but needing more medical interventions down the road. One thing is for certain: Spencer will keep fighting and he deserves to be here and to live a happy and healthy life. Our family will do anything we can to help make sure that happens.