Lilybug
Donation protected
As many of you may already know, my amazing brother and sister-in-law had their third baby on 8/1/18. Tyson and Ashley gave birth to their first baby girl - the absolutely beautiful, Lily Marie! In order to explain what has happened since baby Lily was born, I found it best to quote my inspiring, incredible sister-in-law, Ashley, who wrote the most beautiful post:
"On August 1st, 2018 our family of 4 became a beautiful family of 5. Our sweet little Lily Marie weighed 4 lbs 10 oz and stole our hearts ❤️ Lily and I are lucky to be alive today and we praise God for that. We knew she was going to be special and tiny but she has already proven to us how strong and feisty she is and will be as well.
Miss Lily had to have surgery at 1.5 days old for TEF/EA (tracheal esophageal fistula and esophageal atresia) - which basically means her esophagus was abnormally connected to her trachea and her esophagus had over an inch gap where it was not connected to her stomach. We are at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and will be here for a while. Doctors are 99% sure Lily has what they call VACTERL association which affects many body systems. We know this journey is going to include many more procedures, operations, appointments etc. but she is our little miracle baby and worth it all. We will overcome both short term challenges and long term challenges. God wouldn’t give us something we can’t handle and we are taking it one day at a time.
Our family is starting on a whole new journey together and we want to thank everyone for all their continued prayers and thoughts during this time. We truly have been overwhelmed with all the love and support from family and friends. We can’t express how much it means to us and we will try but never truly be able to repay you all. Our families are the best and haven’t left our side. I was in the ICU at St Ann’s because of postpartum hemorrhaging and a uterine rupture discovered soon after birth that required multiple blood transfusions and emergency surgery. Special shout out to my husband Tyson Bourk who has been my rock and has taken such great care of his two girls while still being an amazing daddy to our two boys.
James and Connor love their new baby sister and you can bet they’ll have her back for the long haul. "
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I left Nashville on August 5th to come to Columbus to be with everyone/help where needed - this was also the day I got to meet Lily for the first time. August 11th was an amazing day because Lily got to meet her Uncle Stephen for the first time. This was also the day that I got to hold Lily for the first time - what an AMAZING feeling. On August 12th, Stephen and I sat in the hospital holding Lily and reading a book we had gotten for Lily a few months prior to her birth. When I had finished reading it, Tyson handed me another book and said 'read this one to Lily, she really likes it'. When I opened the book to begin reading, a little piece of paper slipped out. I thought it was just a bookmark but when I held it up, it read "Aunt Aryn & Uncle Stephen, will you be my Godparents? -Lily". It was one of the most special moments of our lives. We cannot wait to spoil this little baby and give her ALL of the love!
To all of the doctors/nurses/specialists that have helped both Ashley & Lily - THANK YOU!
To all of the family/friends who have reached out with love/support/prayers/gifts/meals for Tyson, Ashley, James, Connor, and Lily - THANK YOU - it is truly overwhelming in the most amazing way.
To all of the family/friends who have spent hours/days/nights with Tyson, Ashley, James, Connor, and Lily at the hospital/RMH/babysitting/dogsitting - THANK YOU - a special shout out to Mimi Strapp, Pappy, Mimi Bourk, Grandfather, and the Strapp sisters & families.
And of course the BIGGEST shout out to Tyson and Ashley who have shown unrivaled love for this baby girl. They have spent countless hours at the hospital making sure Lily knows just how much she is loved. I could go on-and-on, but I just hope you guys know how truly blessed J,C&L are to have you as parents.
I have been blessed with a job that has allowed me to come home for 2 weeks to be with my family during the first couple weeks of Lily's life. Knowing that these are the last days I get to spend with Lily and everyone in Columbus is starting to really sink in. I won't be here to love on my Godbaby everyday - and that is heartbreaking. But knowing that she has so many loved ones surrounding her is extremely comforting.
I know Tyson and Ashley would NEVER ask for any help, so I wanted to do something special for them. Ashley was rushed into life-saving emergency surgery after birth and spent several days in the ICU at St. Ann’s Hospital and was unable to be close to Lily for her first five days of life. Lily was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH on the day she was born and is still in the NICU there. She has already seen a plethora of specialists, and will have to see many more throughout her life. In a nutshell, Lily has issues with her spine, hips, legs, feet, she is missing a thumb and only has one kidney, she had surgery at two days old for a TEF repair, she has a few heart defects, and some other unmentioned issues. We honestly have no idea what type of medical bills are in store for this sweet family, but I can only imagine they won't be small. It could be $10,000 or it could be $100,000+ ....so I started the campaign at $10,000 as a baseline. Over the course of Lily’s life the medical bills will undoubtedly surpass the $10,000 mark with doctor visits, surgeries, help with her being mobile, help with going to the restroom, medications, etc. If you are able to donate a few dollars, it would mean the absolute world. If not, that is totally fine - please just keep the love and prayers coming. Tyson and Ashley really struggled with letting me post this and want you all to know that they do have health insurance and that all proceeds will strictly be used/saved for medical bills, help with Lily’s care, or donated back to charities that pertain to Lily’s care.
If you would prefer to donate via personal check, please send me a message and I will provide address details.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for all of the love and support!
Jesus looked at them and said, “with men it is impossible, but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.” Matthew 19:26
Love,
Lily's Godparents,
Aryn & Stephen
"On August 1st, 2018 our family of 4 became a beautiful family of 5. Our sweet little Lily Marie weighed 4 lbs 10 oz and stole our hearts ❤️ Lily and I are lucky to be alive today and we praise God for that. We knew she was going to be special and tiny but she has already proven to us how strong and feisty she is and will be as well.
Miss Lily had to have surgery at 1.5 days old for TEF/EA (tracheal esophageal fistula and esophageal atresia) - which basically means her esophagus was abnormally connected to her trachea and her esophagus had over an inch gap where it was not connected to her stomach. We are at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and will be here for a while. Doctors are 99% sure Lily has what they call VACTERL association which affects many body systems. We know this journey is going to include many more procedures, operations, appointments etc. but she is our little miracle baby and worth it all. We will overcome both short term challenges and long term challenges. God wouldn’t give us something we can’t handle and we are taking it one day at a time.
Our family is starting on a whole new journey together and we want to thank everyone for all their continued prayers and thoughts during this time. We truly have been overwhelmed with all the love and support from family and friends. We can’t express how much it means to us and we will try but never truly be able to repay you all. Our families are the best and haven’t left our side. I was in the ICU at St Ann’s because of postpartum hemorrhaging and a uterine rupture discovered soon after birth that required multiple blood transfusions and emergency surgery. Special shout out to my husband Tyson Bourk who has been my rock and has taken such great care of his two girls while still being an amazing daddy to our two boys.
James and Connor love their new baby sister and you can bet they’ll have her back for the long haul. "
------
I left Nashville on August 5th to come to Columbus to be with everyone/help where needed - this was also the day I got to meet Lily for the first time. August 11th was an amazing day because Lily got to meet her Uncle Stephen for the first time. This was also the day that I got to hold Lily for the first time - what an AMAZING feeling. On August 12th, Stephen and I sat in the hospital holding Lily and reading a book we had gotten for Lily a few months prior to her birth. When I had finished reading it, Tyson handed me another book and said 'read this one to Lily, she really likes it'. When I opened the book to begin reading, a little piece of paper slipped out. I thought it was just a bookmark but when I held it up, it read "Aunt Aryn & Uncle Stephen, will you be my Godparents? -Lily". It was one of the most special moments of our lives. We cannot wait to spoil this little baby and give her ALL of the love!
To all of the doctors/nurses/specialists that have helped both Ashley & Lily - THANK YOU!
To all of the family/friends who have reached out with love/support/prayers/gifts/meals for Tyson, Ashley, James, Connor, and Lily - THANK YOU - it is truly overwhelming in the most amazing way.
To all of the family/friends who have spent hours/days/nights with Tyson, Ashley, James, Connor, and Lily at the hospital/RMH/babysitting/dogsitting - THANK YOU - a special shout out to Mimi Strapp, Pappy, Mimi Bourk, Grandfather, and the Strapp sisters & families.
And of course the BIGGEST shout out to Tyson and Ashley who have shown unrivaled love for this baby girl. They have spent countless hours at the hospital making sure Lily knows just how much she is loved. I could go on-and-on, but I just hope you guys know how truly blessed J,C&L are to have you as parents.
I have been blessed with a job that has allowed me to come home for 2 weeks to be with my family during the first couple weeks of Lily's life. Knowing that these are the last days I get to spend with Lily and everyone in Columbus is starting to really sink in. I won't be here to love on my Godbaby everyday - and that is heartbreaking. But knowing that she has so many loved ones surrounding her is extremely comforting.
I know Tyson and Ashley would NEVER ask for any help, so I wanted to do something special for them. Ashley was rushed into life-saving emergency surgery after birth and spent several days in the ICU at St. Ann’s Hospital and was unable to be close to Lily for her first five days of life. Lily was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH on the day she was born and is still in the NICU there. She has already seen a plethora of specialists, and will have to see many more throughout her life. In a nutshell, Lily has issues with her spine, hips, legs, feet, she is missing a thumb and only has one kidney, she had surgery at two days old for a TEF repair, she has a few heart defects, and some other unmentioned issues. We honestly have no idea what type of medical bills are in store for this sweet family, but I can only imagine they won't be small. It could be $10,000 or it could be $100,000+ ....so I started the campaign at $10,000 as a baseline. Over the course of Lily’s life the medical bills will undoubtedly surpass the $10,000 mark with doctor visits, surgeries, help with her being mobile, help with going to the restroom, medications, etc. If you are able to donate a few dollars, it would mean the absolute world. If not, that is totally fine - please just keep the love and prayers coming. Tyson and Ashley really struggled with letting me post this and want you all to know that they do have health insurance and that all proceeds will strictly be used/saved for medical bills, help with Lily’s care, or donated back to charities that pertain to Lily’s care.
If you would prefer to donate via personal check, please send me a message and I will provide address details.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for all of the love and support!
Jesus looked at them and said, “with men it is impossible, but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.” Matthew 19:26
Love,
Lily's Godparents,
Aryn & Stephen
Organizer
Aryn Bourk
Organizer
Nashville, TN
