Hello, my name is Reean Desmarais, I am putting this fundraiser together to raise money to support my sister and her husband, Rikki (Desmarais) Cox and Mitch Cox. For those who may not know yet, they are pregnant with their third child, a baby boy due in February of 2026. They recently received some difficult news after doing their 20 week anatomy ultrasound. Their baby boy has been diagnosed with the most severe form of Spina Bifida and Chiari 2 malformation. 

After multiple trips down to Vancouver to see specialists, and much consideration, Rikki and Mitch have decided to move forward with an opportunity to have open fetal surgery to close the hole in baby’s back. This surgery can only be done before baby is 25.5 weeks along.

Rikki and Mitch will be heading to Toronto to have this surgery early November. They will need to stay in Toronto for an additional 7 -10 days post surgery for monitoring. From there they will need to return to Vancouver where Rikki will be required to remain within close proximity of the Vancouver Children’s Hospital for the remaining duration of her pregnancy. She will be required to have a c-section at 37 weeks, and it will be determined after birth if baby boy will potentially need more surgeries or not. 

Because Rikki needs to remain close to the Vancouver Children’s Hospital for the remainder of her pregnancy, this means they will be relocating for potentially 3-4 months. They are waiting for confirmation if they will have a spot to live in the Ronald McDonald House or if they will need to find other accommodations. During this time Mitch along with their 2 kids will be living there with Rikki.

We are hopeful and praying for a healthy outcome for both Baby and Rikki. If anyone would like to help financially support them during this time, the donations will go towards helping to pay their bills and any medical travel/living expenses for the next 3-4 months, as Mitch will need to be taking this time off of work. 

We appreciate every donation and prayer made, and would be grateful to anyone who can also help share this fundraiser.