As most of you know, Mark and Heather welcomed Maverick Carter Williams into the world on January 21, 2016.  He came into this world a fighter, and has already overcome so much in his short little life.  However, even though he is improving every day, he is still currently in the NICU at Denver Health.  

During labor, the doctor found that Maverick had a prolapsed cord, that had been cutting off his circulation, periodically.  At this time, Heather was rushed in for an emergency c-section, but by the time Maverick was born, his heart rate was very shallow, and he was not breathing.  It took the doctors 16 minutes to resuscitate him and get his vitals where they needed to be, and during this time, Maverick received little to no oxygen to his brain.  After some quick decision making, the doctors decided the best course of action for him was to undergo therapeutic hypothermia.  This is where they used cooling blankets to cool Maverick's body temperature down to 90 degrees, in order to keep Maverick's internal organs, and most importantly his brain from swelling, which would hopefully prevent any more damage.  This process took 3 days, and Maverick was on a ventilator with a chest tube in during this time.  After this process, they were able to take Maverick off of the ventilator, and then remove his chest tube shortly after that.

He has been improving ever since, but still is not completely healed.  He had an MRI on his brain, which came back normal, but his EEG's are still mildly abnormal, so his future is still uncertain.  As of now, Mark and Heather are still not able to take him home, because he has not passed his oxygen test that is required for discharge. 

I would like to personally thank everyone for their prayers and amazing support that they have shown Mark, Heather and Maverick during this time, and I know that Mark and Heather are so very grateful as well!  Many have expressed their desire to help Mark and Heather with some of the financial burdens they will incur from Maverick's NICU stay, and future healthcare expenses, which is why I decided to set up this account.  Thank you so much for your contributions, and continued prayers and support for Mark, Heather, and Maverick.  I know they are so grateful!