Support Evangeline

This fundraiser is now to help fund Evangeline’s medical costs.

Hi everyone. I am updating this fundraiser to be of support for our family now while our baby girl Evangeline is in the NICU. We still have a long road ahead of us and we would really appreciate any support you can offer to our family. 

Hello my name is Lauren Sigarroa best known as Gracie. My husband Seth and I are expecting our second child (together).

We have two boys that we raise together.

My son Mitchell (4) and our son Silas (1)

During this pregnancy we have received some very unfortunate medical news and I would like to share our story and call out for help.

I have a condition called Placenta Percreta. With this I am being sent to live 3 hours away from home in the Bay Area where it is safest and most possible for the medical team at Stanford to save my life. At this time I am worried for many reasons being that I want to be here for my husband and kids and also because my husband can not move with me. Figuring out child care during this move and recovery is going to be a real challenge. Per medical advice I am not to be left with the kids without another adult present. I could start hemorrhaging at any time. With our current situation I do not have a choice but to stay unattended with the kids.

Placenta Percreta is so unheard of that most do not know what it is. Per medical definition it is described as

“Placenta percreta is a condition where placenta attaches itself and grows through the uterus and potentially to the nearby organs (such as the bladder).”

My case involves my bladder and potentially other organs. This surgery will entail a large incision, a hysterectomy, tube removal, partial removal of my bladder, and possibly other organs.

I am seeing the best doctor in the country for acreta’s and percreta’s. She has stated that this case is far more complex that any she has performed before and will need to call in many other doctors to try and save my life. The biggest danger of this is giving me enough blood transfusions and successfully separating my placenta from major blood supplies and organs in enough time.

At this time I have been given an 87 percent maternal mortality rate.

Emotionally this is very hard. At first I was very heart broken and upset about losing my ability to have children at the young age of 23, but at this point and realizing how serious this situation is I just want to live for my husband and children.

My husband Seth is a sponsored police cadet for Merced Police department attending the Police Academy in Fresno, and often times he works 6 out of seven days a week.

vulnerability and asking for help is not my strong suit. This has been very hard for me to share.

If you have anything to spare or would like to help us out in this situation it would be greatly appreciated. If nothing else our friends and family can read our story because telling it more than once is emotionally challenging.

Thank you

UPDATE*** 12-19-23

Gracie is being transported via ambulance to Stanford Medical Center tonight. She started leaking amniotic fluid yesterday night 2 months early. They will be keeping her in the hospital until delivery. Please continue to pray, share, and support if you can.

UPDATE*** 12-30-23

We are getting closer to our goal! Thank you so much. Please continue to give if you can and share. I will give an update. I was transported via ambulance to Stanford from Sonora on the 19th because my water broke. That was not the plan at all. I wasn’t supposed to move down here until 33 weeks which would be February, but now that my water has broken I am very high risk for going into labor and an infection. I require very strict monitoring because of my condition. If I go into labor I could hemorrhage and die. When I got here I found out that I am severely anemic. I ended up getting blood and iron transfusions which blew my veins. That was extremely painful and now I can’t have an IV due to my veins being extremely solid and painful on both arms, and sadly I am still very anemic. This has been extremely hard. Child care has been very hard to come by and with the holidays coming to an end my husband is going back to work in Fresno, so I will be alone come Jan 2nd. I have been the most open about my struggles lately. That is not something I’ve ever done. Our son Silas recently got out of the ICU at Valley Children’s. He was 6 weeks premature when he was born, and his lungs weren’t developed. Due to that he is very susceptible to any airborne viruses. He contracted RSV from my oldest son. He brought it home from preschool. It was absolutely terrifying. He couldn’t breathe and went limp. We took him in and even on 100 percent oxygen he was still really struggling to breathe. I stayed in the hospital with him the entire time of course, and right when things were getting better and I got settled back at home all of this happened. I was aware how bad my case is and how dangerous, but I didn’t expect for my water to break this soon. I hope the baby will hang on a bit longer and grow stronger, so she will be as healthy as she can be. Please if you got this far wish us a better year next year! We had highs and some very low points this year. We got married this year, our sweet Silas was born, and we are very grateful for Seth’s new career. This is just very hard. Thank you for the support. Please feel free to continue to share our story as it’s updated.

1-10-2024

UPDATE***

 Gracie started hemorrhaging around midnight on Tuesday. They took her for surgery that morning. It was a long and extremely extensive surgery lasting 9 hours. She was intubated and put to sleep. During the surgery she lost 7 liters of blood, had a total hysterectomy, tube removal, cervix removed, and a bladder repair. She is here with us though. Currently in the ICU. Her incision is very large and painful. The baby “Evangeline” was delivered at 28 weeks weighing 2 lbs 10 oz. So far baby will need to be in the NICU for about 3 months. Both Gracie and Evangeline have a very long road to recovery. Please if you can continue to support us in this time and share our story it would be greatly appreciated. We are so grateful for Stanford Medical Center for saving her life.

UPDATE***

1-14-2024

This is Gracie. I have been very out of it and I’m in so much pain. This has been the hardest thing I have ever went through, but I would do it all again to see Evangeline. I am so proud to have a beautiful daughter. My incision is very large. So far nothing is controlling the pain. This recovery will be very long. Evangeline needs to stay in the NICU for a very long time. Seth my husband has to leave on Monday to go back to school on Tuesday. When I am able to go home we have to figure out something for me and Evangeline because she is in the NICU so far away from home and I still have two other little ones that depend on me. At this time we ask for everyone to continue to support us and donate anything you possibly can or share our story with your friends and family. 

I am so grateful to be here today. I didn’t know if I’d be able to write this post.