Support Kristin & Nathan's Fight for Oliver

I am reaching out on behalf of my sister Kristin and brother in law Nathan Clyde. Some of you may have heard already and others may just be finding out. They are 21 weeks pregnant with sweet baby Oliver, this past Thursday they received terrible news at their 20 week anatomy scan that there was no amniotic fluid in the womb and potential kidney damage. At that point doctors were certain his chances of survival were very low. They were sent to UH in Cleveland and given much more hope.

On Mother’s Day Oliver received an operation in utero to save his life. A shunt was placed in his bladder to drain fluid and create amniotic fluid to give him more time to develop in the womb. This is a very rare procedure. We had many people praying and we witnessed a miracle that it went well.

Kristin will have a lot of doctors appointments/follow ups and travels to Cleveland. She will be unable to work for the rest of her pregnancy. We are still not sure what Oliver will need at birth, likely a surgery and possibility of a NICU stay. On top of that they will have medical bills, monthly bills and caring for their 3 year old son, George. Nathan will need to work as he can while also attending to his family.

I want financial stress to be the last thing they have to worry about while getting through this day by day to bring their boy home. Please consider donating, sharing but more than anything please keep praying.

This rare and life-threatening birth defect, known as lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO), was preventing urine from being released into the amniotic fluid space around the fetus. As a result, the bladder was enlarged and amniotic fluid levels around the fetus were lower than normal (oligohydramnios). And in baby Oliver’s case there was no amniotic fluid.

Low amniotic fluid levels can result in underdevelopment of the lungs, a life-threatening condition. The obstruction can also cause back pressure on the kidneys, which can lead to kidney damage. Fetal surgery for LUTO involves vesicoamniotic shunt placement. A shunt is a hollow tube that temporarily bypasses the lower urinary tract obstruction and provides an alternate passageway for urine to go from the bladder through the abdominal wall to the amniotic fluid space around the fetus. This allows for drainage of the urinary tract and bladder and establishes fluid around the fetus, which is necessary for lung development.

”Nathan and I are completely overwhelmed with the prayers, support, and donations that are being given to us during this extremely difficult time. I tried to write this several times but I can’t come up with the words that truly express the gratitude our hearts are feeling for all our family/friends/coworkers and even complete strangers.

Please don’t take our silence as a sign of disrespect. We are working through a lot of emotions as we navigate this journey day by day. It brings joy to my heart to know that so many people love our Oliver.” - Kristin