On December 28th, Danielle was rushed by ambulance to Yale New Haven Hospital after suddenly losing her ability to stand. Moments earlier, she passed baby Laney to Tim when she began to feel extremely nauseous. As she tried to get to the bathroom, she collapsed on the living room floor. She was initially brought to L&M Hospital and then transferred to Yale for more specialized care.

Doctors discovered that Danielle has a pineal gland cyst that has grown and caused a blockage, preventing fluid in her brain from draining properly. Looking back, she had been experiencing symptoms since Laney’s birth, but they were thought to be related to blood pressure at the time. She has been in the ICU at Yale with a drain placed to relieve pressure while the neurosurgery team develops the safest plan forward.

Current findings strongly suggest that the cyst is a germ cell tumor, and an MRI also revealed a small spot on her spine, which can sometimes occur with this type of tumor. Danielle is scheduled for a second surgery on Sunday, January 4th—an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). During this procedure, surgeons will create a larger drainage pathway and collect a larger tissue sample for biopsy. She is expected to remain in the neuro ICU for at least another week.

If the biopsy confirms a germ cell tumor, Danielle will begin chemotherapy and radiation. While this diagnosis is incredibly scary, there is hope—the survival rate is approximately 90%, and this type of tumor is typically very responsive to treatment. Still, the journey ahead will be long and emotionally, physically, and financially demanding.

During all of this, Tim has been holding everything together at home with the support of family and friends. They are relying on their available PTO from work as they navigate hospital stays, caring for the children, and managing daily life while trying to maintain some normalcy for their family.

Any support you can offer during this time would mean so much and would help ease the burden on Tim and the kids as they face the weeks and months ahead. Thank you for keeping Danielle and her family in your thoughts and prayers.