Hello, my name is Katie and I made this GoFundMe to help out my brother Brady & sister-in-law Melissa during this time of need. Donations would help them tremendously but above all they need PRAYERS.

Their precious baby boy Declan Paul was born almost 8 weeks early via emergency c-section and has been fighting for his life since. He is currently on a ventilator and has had numerous complications since birth. Brady and Melissa have been at the hospital with him since he was born on June 3rd to be by his side as much as possible. Brady has been there to not only be by Declan's side but also by Melissa's side as she was having to get several blood transfusions and is still recovering.

We humbly request your support during this incredibly challenging time. With loss of income due to neither of them working, and having to leave their other 4 young children with friends and family we would love to lighten their burden so that they can focus on and be with their son who desperately needs them. Every contribution no matter the size will be greatly appreciated and make a significant difference in their lives. Your donations will go directly to them and be used towards medical expenses, gas, food, and bills while providing support to heal physically, emotionally, and financially.

Thank you and God Bless you.

Below I will post updates directly from Melissa's Facebook page:

June 4, 2023

My Sunday morning view looks a little different than what I had planned...but God knew. We were saving a little surprise for social media. I was due July 24th (Gemma's birthday) with a surprise baby! (Gender unknown that is) We were nervous but excited about a new addition. We had so many plans for the next 7 and 1/2 weeks. Friday night though, things changed. By 7pm I could tell these contractions were serious, I was drinking water and electrolyte powder in hopes it was too much sun despite several breaks inside with the kiddos. To make a long story short, our little man arrived yesterday at 1:48pm at just over 32 weeks. He's a big boy for his gestation but his lungs are very underdeveloped. We haven't been able to hold him yet due to him being unstable and last night around 9:30 he did end up being intubated and is on a ventilator. Please pray so many prayers over our precious babe.

June 5, 2023

We have some AMAZING updates. First of all, he has a name! We decided in the middle of the night and we're so happy he has one now. Declan Paul LeDuc Declan "full of goodness, man of prayer" Paul "small,humble" Strong name for a little fighter. Also the biggest and best news this morning is that he is down to 28% on the vent and his lungs are beginning to work! We are so thrilled. God is good and He is hearing your prayers. There's even talk of going back to CPAP vs being on the Ventilator he is currently on

June 5, 2023

Update: Declan is on CPAP, he was extubated after lunch and said goodbye to the ventilator!His blood gases are coming back much better. His xrays are also looking extremely improved. One step closer to me being allowed to hold him! (He hasn't been stable enough to be held quite yet)

June 6. 2023

Today's update isn't great... We had a rough night. Declan had a pneumothorax and needed a chest tube placed. The pneumothorax had a big effect on his heart as the xray showed his heart was completely on the right side of his chest. We looked at all the xrays and his heart has come back quite a bit after the chest tube was placed but it still needs to move back more to the left and it has caused his heart to have some issues now. He's struggling, but fighting it was a long night for us. Praying that today will go better as it sort of felt like one step forward and two steps back tonight.

This evening update breaks my heart. Our little Declan had a very difficult day. He is intubated again and on a different vent this time. He is not doing well. Many difficult episodes today. His chest tube is in place supporting that left lung although they had some issues with it today that led to a lot of stress. It's pretty much been a busy day of bad news but I have had several friends reach out and love on me and pray with me and I can't tell you how much that means to me. Through it all, He is faithful.

June 7, 2023

Please pray with us as Declan gets a PICC line placed this morning. ❤

Got to see my babies again thank you Beth Wichert for bringing them!

12:16a.m.

Declan is stable and spending lots of time with mommy he remains on the ventilator, he has a chest tube, arterial line and PICC line. Thank-you for everyone's continued prayers

June 8, 2023

Day 5 Update: Praise God for carrying us through since Saturday when Declan was born. The hardest part so far is Declan has not been stable enough for me to hold him even one time it crushes me to not reach in and grab him up. I am allowed to put my hand on him, but to keep it low stimulation. Please pray that God would allow me to be able to hold him soon. Which leads to more info and prayer requests. Declan is still on the ventilator which is sustaining his life. He also has a hole in his heart and pulmonary hypertension which we discovered from his echo. He also just had a brain ultrasound today to ensure that due to the pressure in his body he's not having any issues with the vessels in his brain. Please pray they will be able to wean him off of the vent, that he will be able to have his arterial line pulled, that his lung would heal so his chest tube could come out, that his heart and lungs would be strong enough to support his body. THANK YOU all for praying. A praise is that he is opening his eyes and responding to my voice!

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