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We are Cathi and Ross Thompson. We are raising money for an incredible family, Erik, Birtie and EmmaLee Stump, who is 3.5 years old. Erik has worked with us for many years and his family has become ours. Emmalee has to have open heart surgery. They will have a period of time when Mom will be off work for several months and Dad for 1 week. There will be extra expenses of travel and their regular bills with only one income. This is important to us as we watched several attempts to have a child fail and then, because of God's grace, EmmaLee was born. She is truly a miracle and her parents are amazing with love, patience, perseverance and a peace through the most difficult challenges parent's could face. These are strong parents and EmmaLee is truly a reflection of their strength.
- Emmy's story by her mom: Emmy came into this world at 25 weeks and 4 days. She weighed 13 oz. and was 10.25" long. I was told that if she came before 32 weeks, she wouldn’t make it because at just 20 weeks, she was only 10 oz. Routine ultrasounds started taking place at 16 weeks. I went to my appointment, and my blood pressure was 208/105. I was sent to the hospital to stay for the rest of my pregnancy. Five hours later, an emergency C-section took place after I had a seizure and they lost her heartbeat. She spent 4.5 months in the NICU at St. Mary’s in Shreveport. Emmy came home on oxygen weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz. She was born with 2 grade 3 brain bleeds that healed on their own. She was also diagnosed with COPD, asthma, hypertension, and her ASD valve in her heart that was expected to close shortly after birth didn’t. Dr. Terry King, a pediatric cardiologist, has been monitoring her heart since she turned a year old. At birth, the hole was 5.5 mm. He said we would keep a close eye on it and have an echo and EKG every 6 months. When she had her next echo, the hole was 11.9 mm, which is two #2 pencil erasers for reference. We have talked about her getting a catheter, but she has to have a rim around the hole to attach it to. She also had to be at least 3 years old and at least 30 pounds. Fast forward to her most recent ECHO on January 27th. They revealed that the hole is now between 16-18 mm. Dr. King was not happy with the findings and told me he was setting up a medical conference for February 7th to go ahead and get this taken care of. After the conference, he called me and said they reviewed her file and said she was not eligible for the catheter. The hole is too big, and there’s no space. She has to have open-heart surgery. As I processed what he was saying, I couldn’t think of questions to ask. I waited until Monday, and we got the call to set up her appointment. We have to travel to New Orleans and will be at the hospital for 5-7 days. Recovery for Emmy will be long; she will have to be home for 6-8 weeks, and that means I will be there to take care of her. I have resigned from my job, and God provided a new one for me where I will teach pre-K at Emmy's daycare. Please pray for our sweet baby girl in the days leading up to her surgery, during surgery, and for her recovery afterward. Thank you all in advance!
- By the way, Emmy is 3.5 years old and almost 25 pounds today!!!!
God performs miracles every day, and Emmy is a true testament to His unwavering love and grace! God bless you all for reading this!
Organizer and beneficiary
Birtie Stump
Beneficiary