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Baby Gabriel Michael Justice Kempo entered the world on Tuesday, March 22nd at 9:20 AM weighing in at 10 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 23 inches long! And he had a head full of dark hair - looking for all the world like a big, beautiful, healthy baby boy!
Expect the unexpected - it's a phrase we've all heard at some point in our lives. But that's just it, no one ever sees it coming and suddenly we find ourselves with the wind taken completely out of our sails and left floundering in an unknown ocean, at a loss for how to find our way back to shore. That is how we felt when they told us that even though Gabe was a big boy, being born three weeks early resulted in him having preemie lungs that just couldn't support him.
While this wasn't what we expected when we started the day, we were fortunate enough to have a wonderful medical staff at Halifax Regional Hospital (HRH) who realized the problem immediately and reached out to Virginia Baptist Hospital (VBH), where state of the art specialized medical treatment would available for him.
The absolutely amazing Neonatal Pediatric Flight Crew from VBH arrived to prep and pick baby Gabe up from HRH and med-flight him to their neonatal intensive care unit where he could receive the care he needed. After intubating him and putting him on a ventilator, then securing him in a specialized neonatal transport unit, they brought him by to see Mommy before leaving with him. It was the first time Jessie had been able to touch him since he was born. Justin and his Mom went to Lynchburg while I stayed with Jessie. That night was long and left me and Jessie with wrenching hearts that we were not be able to follow as fast as we wished. It was a very hard night.
To say this has been a scary time in our lives is an understatement. Jessie & Justin expected to be home by now, getting Gabe and his brothers - Adam & Dominick - all settled in at home. Instead, Jessie was discharged the day after her c-section and we went immediately to Lynchburg to join Justin and Gabe. Fortunately, the hospital had a room available at the Dawson Inn, where family members of patients can stay. It's near the hospital and they offer reduced rates, a full kitchen and a community room to help offset the expense of being away from home and make things as comfortable as they can be in times like this.
This site was recommended by a family member to possibly help with the additional costs that Justin & Jessie are facing. Gabriel is still in the neonatal ICU at Virginia Baptist. He's been through quite a bit: he came off the ventilator, then had to be put back on. When they took him off the ventilator, he had a CPAP for awhile (which he did not like at all!). He's off of that now too and it looks like his lungs are working much better. He's been under the lights for awhile with high bilirubin levels which have stabilized and appear to be resolving. Things were looking so well - he only had one tube left that ran into his tummy to feed him with - and then they found blood in his stool Friday. They suspected NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis), but they weren't sure. They’re treating him as if he does as this can be very serious and he just cannot fight it on his own. They re-started an IV (in his head), stopped feeding him by mouth, and started antibiotics. Since then, they removed the IV and started a PIC line in his neck - it's is a long flexible catheter inserted into the vein, behind his left ear, which leads to the jugular. They gave him morphine before hand so he didn't have to suffer so. He appears to be improving, and they even think it may not be NEC now, but they're continuing with the 10 days of antibiotics with no food at all to let his bowel rest. He's not very happy about that either! His feistiness is reassuring to everyone. :)
As much as we wish we could bring him home, we know he's getting excellent care where he is and needs to stay till he's well and ready to leave.
The added expense of hotels, meals, and gas have put a strain on the kids. Everyone is pitching in, but this is lasting longer than anyone expected or was prepared for. Any funds raised will be used to cover the cost of the hotel, food, gas, and the additional medical bills that will result from the specialized care needed by Gabe. Mommy just isn't leaving till she can come home with her baby, which is totally expected and understandable.
The outpouring of support, prayers, love and kind gestures is appreciated more than words can express. We ask for continued prayers for Gabriel's healing and we thank you in advance for any help you can share. It's times like these that you realize how truly blessed you are to have people in your life who care so much!
Expect the unexpected - it's a phrase we've all heard at some point in our lives. But that's just it, no one ever sees it coming and suddenly we find ourselves with the wind taken completely out of our sails and left floundering in an unknown ocean, at a loss for how to find our way back to shore. That is how we felt when they told us that even though Gabe was a big boy, being born three weeks early resulted in him having preemie lungs that just couldn't support him.
While this wasn't what we expected when we started the day, we were fortunate enough to have a wonderful medical staff at Halifax Regional Hospital (HRH) who realized the problem immediately and reached out to Virginia Baptist Hospital (VBH), where state of the art specialized medical treatment would available for him.
The absolutely amazing Neonatal Pediatric Flight Crew from VBH arrived to prep and pick baby Gabe up from HRH and med-flight him to their neonatal intensive care unit where he could receive the care he needed. After intubating him and putting him on a ventilator, then securing him in a specialized neonatal transport unit, they brought him by to see Mommy before leaving with him. It was the first time Jessie had been able to touch him since he was born. Justin and his Mom went to Lynchburg while I stayed with Jessie. That night was long and left me and Jessie with wrenching hearts that we were not be able to follow as fast as we wished. It was a very hard night.
To say this has been a scary time in our lives is an understatement. Jessie & Justin expected to be home by now, getting Gabe and his brothers - Adam & Dominick - all settled in at home. Instead, Jessie was discharged the day after her c-section and we went immediately to Lynchburg to join Justin and Gabe. Fortunately, the hospital had a room available at the Dawson Inn, where family members of patients can stay. It's near the hospital and they offer reduced rates, a full kitchen and a community room to help offset the expense of being away from home and make things as comfortable as they can be in times like this.
This site was recommended by a family member to possibly help with the additional costs that Justin & Jessie are facing. Gabriel is still in the neonatal ICU at Virginia Baptist. He's been through quite a bit: he came off the ventilator, then had to be put back on. When they took him off the ventilator, he had a CPAP for awhile (which he did not like at all!). He's off of that now too and it looks like his lungs are working much better. He's been under the lights for awhile with high bilirubin levels which have stabilized and appear to be resolving. Things were looking so well - he only had one tube left that ran into his tummy to feed him with - and then they found blood in his stool Friday. They suspected NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis), but they weren't sure. They’re treating him as if he does as this can be very serious and he just cannot fight it on his own. They re-started an IV (in his head), stopped feeding him by mouth, and started antibiotics. Since then, they removed the IV and started a PIC line in his neck - it's is a long flexible catheter inserted into the vein, behind his left ear, which leads to the jugular. They gave him morphine before hand so he didn't have to suffer so. He appears to be improving, and they even think it may not be NEC now, but they're continuing with the 10 days of antibiotics with no food at all to let his bowel rest. He's not very happy about that either! His feistiness is reassuring to everyone. :)
As much as we wish we could bring him home, we know he's getting excellent care where he is and needs to stay till he's well and ready to leave.
The added expense of hotels, meals, and gas have put a strain on the kids. Everyone is pitching in, but this is lasting longer than anyone expected or was prepared for. Any funds raised will be used to cover the cost of the hotel, food, gas, and the additional medical bills that will result from the specialized care needed by Gabe. Mommy just isn't leaving till she can come home with her baby, which is totally expected and understandable.
The outpouring of support, prayers, love and kind gestures is appreciated more than words can express. We ask for continued prayers for Gabriel's healing and we thank you in advance for any help you can share. It's times like these that you realize how truly blessed you are to have people in your life who care so much!
Organizer and beneficiary
Justin Kempo
Beneficiary