Steffen Family Wellness Fund

Dear Family and Friends,

 

 On January 4th our world turned upside down. Our wife, daughter, sister, aunt heard the words that no one would ever want to hear, “you have cancer”. At 32 weeks pregnant and only 26 years old, Stephanie Steffen was going to battle not only her first pregnancy but cancer too. Weeks before, Stephanie had been in and out of doctor’s offices due to a pain in her neck, arm and hand. The doctors thought it was part of her pregnancy until she developed numbness in her arm and hand. The doctors sent her for an MRI which revealed a large mass tumor in her neck and spine. The doctors where very confident this was cancer and put her in the hospital that day. Over the next two weeks, Stephanie would stay in the hospital while biopsies and other testing were completed. The doctors were convinced this tumor was cancer, but by the power of prayers from all our supporting family, friends and prayer chains, the biopsy came back benign. The doctors were surprised to see those results and wanted to get a second look at another biopsy. Again, by the power of prayer, the tumor results were benign. The doctors finally diagnosed Stephanie; she has a Giant Cell Tumor of the bone that is impeding on a major nerve. While this is still not cancer and a relief for her family and friends, the danger of where this tumor is growing on her spine is very serious and when operated on, there will be a possibility of permanent nerve damage. Since the tumor is large and growing fast, they decided it was in their best interest to deliver baby Kennedy at 37 weeks.

 We are all blessed with the arrival of baby Kennedy on February, 1st 2017.  After delivery, it was found that baby Kennedy unfortunately had side effects from the pain medications that Stephanie was prescribed and baby Kennedy started going through withdrawals. Baby Kennedy is in Children’s Hospital at this time and her doctors are weaning Kennedy off the pain medication. In addition to all of this, Kennedy has an enlarged kidney that will have to be dealt with a couple of times surgically in the near future. She's on daily antibiotics to help prevent any type of kidney infection prior to surgery. The doctors had been monitoring this previously and Stephanie was having weekly ultra sounds done.

  Jake, the daddy of baby Kennedy and the husband of Stephanie, has been faced with a difficult decision, work to try to get ahead, or be with his family. Knowing the hardship they would be in, Jake made the decision to be at the hospital to support his family. This unfortunately means he will miss out on work. In the weeks and months ahead, Stephanie will undergo chemo shots to shrink the tumor. When the doctors feel it is safe to operate, they will go in and remove the tumor. They estimate six month of chemo and an additional 3 months of recovery after the surgery is complete.

This family has already seen more medical bills that they can handle on their own. Once Stephanie went into the hospital, they both lost their income and medical bills continue to flow. There is no quick fix to getting them back to work and financially able to support everything going on.

We are requesting any help or donation you can make to Jake, Stephanie and baby Kennedy. We appreciate all the love and support and especially the prayers you have given to this family.

Thanks again for your generosity! God Bless