As many of you may know, my 11-month-old niece, Gracie, was born with an undiagnosed rare abdominal wall birth defect last March that resulted in an emergency surgery and a lengthy NICU stay. The surgeon who performed her surgery said there was a 10% chance that she could develop an intestinal obstruction down the road due to her defect, and unfortunately, she did.

On February 22nd, Gracie was rushed to the pediatric ER for extreme nausea and abdominal pain, and after X-rays, ultrasounds, and a CT scan, they were able to detect a closed-loop bowel obstruction. She was rushed to surgery that afternoon and had to have 12 inches of her bowel resected. She is currently in the PICU, and it is uncertain when she will be going home at this time. The surgeon said to expect a minimum of a one-week stay.

The emotional, mental, physical, and financial stress that comes along with a child who is medically complex is indescribable. Gracie’s mom and dad are still paying off her first hospital stay and will now anticipate more large medical bills headed their way. They also have a 4-year-old daughter at home and are having to navigate caring for both girls while staying at the hospital and running their small businesses.

Their family would be so grateful for any help that you are able to offer in hopes of relieving some of the stress that they are going through.

Thank you so much ♥️