thirty Three days ago, my world changed in an instant. A doctor came into my room and told me that my pregnancy—mainly my placenta—was causing me severe preeclampsia and pulmonary edema. He explained that if I continued to carry my baby in the state I was in, I would likely end up on a ventilator and dialysis, and there was a real chance that neither of us would make it. We were rushed back for an emergency c-section to deliver my daughter, Emoreigh, at just 25 weeks and 2 days. As a mother, I wanted nothing more than to carry her longer and help her grow stronger, but that choice was taken from me. After the c-section, I couldn’t see her right away—she was taken straight to the NICU, and I was put on a magnesium drip with dangerously high blood pressure. She now faces open heart surgery to fix heart findings that are hurting her breathing.

Twenty-four hours later, I pushed myself to walk to the NICU to see my baby, and I started pumping right away, even before I got to hold her. God truly watched over us, and I am so grateful to the team at Cabell for saving our lives. Within two days of delivery, I was breathing normally again, my lungs were almost clear of fluid, and my labs were starting to return to normal. Now, the medical team and doctors are doing everything they can to save Emoreigh and bring her home, hopefully around her due date in March. I never knew preeclampsia could be so frightening, or that it could start to shut your organs down, but it can.

During this time, a CT scan to check my lungs also revealed lymph nodes in my chest cavity. Because of my history with cancer, oncology met with me after birth, and I am now scheduled for a PET scan next Wednesday and biopsies to make sure my cancer hasn’t returned. I am praying for good news, but right now, my focus is on Emoreigh and getting her home. The funds from this fundraiser will help us with travel, food, and medical bills while Emoreigh is in the NICU, and will support our family since my husband has been out of work. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for helping us in such a hard and scary time for our micro premie and through my oncology journey.