Support Cassidy's NICU Journey and Future Surgeries

Daniel Longworth is organizing this fundraiser.

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope this finds you well, we are definitely out of our comfort zone putting this together. My wife Allie, and I were expecting to welcome our baby girl Cassidy in January 2025, and this pregnancy was very difficult on my wife. As we got further into pregnancy it was apparent we would likely meet our baby girl in late 2024.

Allie was first admitted back on November 6th with an expected stay of 5 weeks until induction. However, the Lord had other plans, and it became clear for Allie and Cassie’s health that medical staff made the decision to induce early on November 10th. The next day, as things were progressing the medical team detected a sharp drop in heart rate for baby Cassidy, and made every effort to recover her heart rate ultimately had to rush Allie and Cassidy for an emergency c-section.

We are so lucky this was detected quickly, later they found Cassidy’s umbilical cord had a true knot. And that it was pulled tight during the induction process and likely caused Cassidy’s heart rate drop. This was a miracle and we are lucky that mom and baby are with us. Cassidy was born on 11/11/24 at a little over 2.5lbs.

Cassidy was cared for in the NHRMC NICU wing and started out doing very well, off the ventilator in a few hours and continued progressing in every way. However due to her gestational age being just under 30 weeks, they completed routine brain scan ultrasounds. The doctors discovered a bilateral grade 3 IVH brain bleed. Cassidy’s care team let us know the prognosis and what could happen. She spent the first few weeks at NHRMC showing no symptoms of the brain bleed and resulting clot that was causing additional pressure on her brain. However, her head measurements had them concerned enough as symptoms and brain damage are likely to occur if left untreated.

The medical team here at NHRMC in Wilmington continued regular brain ultrasounds, and head circumference measurements multiple times a day. With time they made the decision we would need to be transferred up to UNC Children’s Hospital where they have a neurology team and a neurosurgeons that would be able to help relieve the pressure on her brain.

The two hospitals coordinated Cassidy’s transfer up to UNC on December 2nd, the doctors performed installation of a subgaleal shunt in Cassidy’s brain on December 3rd. She remained under the care of the UNC Neurology team for nearly two weeks, and Allie stayed up at UNC with her the entire time. Cassidy was finally transferred back to Wilmington on December 14th, and Allie was finally able to come home to see our boys.

Cassidy will face more surgeries in the future, removal of the current shunt is known. But the subgaleal shunt currently in place is a temporary fix, there is a chance her brain still can’t drain properly; which would mean another type of permanent shunt would need to be installed at that point.