Support Tobias's NICU Journey

My grandbaby Tobias was born at 30 weeks and 5 days via caesarean section. Tobias had to be transferred to UK Healthcare NICU unit. They had to perform surgery. He had a tracheoesophageal fistula, the type C variation. The Ear, Nose, and Throat team worked with the surgeons to correct this, but he’ll still need to stay in the NICU at UK Healthcare for a few more weeks for monitoring.

My son and his wife, Jamie and Kylie, are devoted to staying by his side, but this comes with a financial burden - including medical bills, travel costs, and time away from work. This is a challenging time for my little family and I wanted to try to start a GoFundMe to help them during this stressful time.

Your support can make a huge difference for my little family, whether it be a donation or sharing this fundraiser. Any little bit of support helps.

Thank you for the support and prayers for my grandbaby Tobias throughout this time.

•MOM'S STORY•

I had polyhydramnios and they found this out when I was 28 weeks and 4 days. They said an amniotic fluid level of 25 was considered abnormal and I was measuring with a level of 34. I complained about how there was decreased fetal movement and I first noticed the decreased movement a month before my fluid check. They performed a NST and noticed Tobias’s heart rate was going from 60s to 120s.

They admitted me and gave me terbutaline to stop contractions and betamethasone to kick start his lungs.

They monitored me for over a day while I was receiving magnesium and betamethasone. Tobias’s heart rate did not improve. Dr. Erin Mullins made the amazing decision to perform a caesarean section to get him out and address what was wrong.

They discovered he had an esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula to the distal esophageal segment. His lower esophagus was connected to his trachea and his upper esophagus rounded to a stop. The Ear, Nose, and Throat team was able to work with surgeons to correct this. He’ll be monitored for a few more weeks to make sure there’s no leakage at the incision site of his esophagus. Tobias currently has a chest tube and is on the ventilator following the surgery. He still has a way to go till he’s at home with us.

We appreciate all our friends and family who have checked in on our little family. It means so much to us that so many people care about our little guy.