Support Zoe, Bradyn & Royal’s PICU Journey.

Yesterday, 2/20/2024, Zoe arrived to see her doctor for a check-up due to a rapid onset of swelling. They immediately sent Zoe to the OB center at Olympic Medical Center, and within an hour, Zoe was being loaded onto the helicopter to be flown to Swedish Medical Center Hospital.

Due to the severity of Zoe’s preeclampsia, she was immediately induced at 34 weeks gestation.

Unfortunately, during her delivery, Bradyn and Zoe’s son, Royal, was showing signs of distress, and Zoe had to be taken in for an emergency C-section.

Royal appeared to be doing well for a little guy born at 34 weeks gestation, weighing 6 lbs and 9 oz, and our family hit the road to come see the proud new parents.

By the time we arrived at the hospital, things had taken a turn for the worse, and Royal was having difficulty breathing independently. CPAP was used to support breathing, but Royal's oxygen level was not stabilizing, so he had to be intubated for the machine to breathe for him. Like a real fighter, Royal continued to try and breathe past the machine, but this made his carbon levels unstable.

Poor baby Royal is currently being monitored closely in the neonatal intensive care unit, receiving prophylactic antibiotics, pain medications for signs of discomfort, and vital monitoring through a PICC line to his heart.

These hardworking young parents have been able to put a modest amount of money away in preparation for Royal's arrival, but with routine life expenses, they were not able to put away enough money to sustain the 4-6 week stay in Seattle and all the expenses that come with being away from home to stay bedside to their son.

With all the worry they are facing, how to eat and commute without affecting their routine bills can’t be one of them.

Please join me in pouring love into them in the only way we can right now, a full belly and just a fraction less to worry about.