Hi, my name is Joseph. I am fundraising to help support my family as we continue to be there for our gladiator of a daughter while she fights to come home.

Penny was born 4 months premature on April 6th, 2025, weighing only 600g. My wife required emergency bowel surgery on March 31st, 2025 and went into labour a week later while only 24 weeks pregnant.

Going on 10 months now, Penny continues to defy the odds and defy the doctors who have countless times informed us that she may not make it by battling through an extensive list of medical complications.

Some of Penny's medical complications she overcame or continues to battle include:

• Chronic Lung Disease
• Intubation for 5 months and again now while recovering from surgery
• Bowel perforation
• Ileostomy
• E-Coli Infection
• Sepsis
• Fungal Blood Infection
• Staph Aureus Infection
• SVC Syndrome
• Major Thrombosis in right atrium of heart, nearly filling entire space
• Kidney Failure
• Liver shunt causing high ammonia levels in the blood
• 6 cut-down PICC lines
• 2 faulty PICC lines
• Malnourishment due to shortened bowel and dumping syndrome
• Fracture in Femur due to brittle bones
• Laser eyes surgery
• Chronic Edema due to widespread blood clots
• Multiple pleural effusions
• Reanastomosis
• Two Emergency Bowel Surgeries
• Bowel abcess and fistula
• Collateral Vessel Formation
• ...and a long list of other issues and complications.

Penny was supposed to come home in November, we even had the home oxygen set up in preperation, but complications derailed that. She is recovering from reanastomosis surgery and many complications through her recovery. She is awating input from out of province specialist for her Lymphatic Fistula and schedule for an MRI next week. Currently waiting for her kidneys to recover from all the diuretics needed to get the edema under control in order to do a contrast CT to assess her bowel fistula and abcess. Blood clots continue to affect the way she retains fluids requiring a very delicate balance of fluids and diuretics.

She is an absolute gladiator and incredibly adorable, sweet, and curious. Amazed everyday by the innate fight in our little girl.

Due to my wife still recovering from her surgery and Crohn's diagnosis, and me needing to take time away from work to be there for my family, our debt has accumulated and bills have become difficult to cover. I did not want to ask for help, but at this point I need to forget my pride and do what is best for my family.