Love for Baby Lucas
Donation protected
Hi. For those who don't know me, I'm Lida Bright, Tosha Landrus' sister. I'm the mother of those two cute little girls that Tosha tends to claim as her own. :)
Everybody who knows Tosha and Russell love them dearly. They are two of the most caring and loving people I know. Tosha is a huge champion of the March of Dimes and the Children's Miracle network through her job at Publix. Now unfortunately the person who has done so much to help those little babies, is in need of some help of her own. Tosha is currently pregnant with a handsome little boy named Lucas Lee Landrus. Baby Lucas is going to have a long road ahead of him and will face many challenges in his young life, so we are hoping that Tosha and Russell can try not to worry about the financial burden, as much, and focus on the necessary care and love for their baby boy.
To give a little more information on Lucas' condition, I will give you the back story, but please forgive me if I butcher the medical terminology:
At approximately 20 weeks pregnant during her routine ultrasound it was discovered that Lucas had Fetal Ventriculomegaly. At that time the ventricles to Lucas' brain were considered moderately enlarged. This was just the beginning of the whirlwind of doctors visits, tests, long weeks awaiting results, restless nights. During this process the perinatalologist also believed Lucas had additional heart conditions which might have lead to his enlarged ventricles. Further tests and specialist visits have since ruled that out. This was a bit of relief, but at the same time just left more questions. Unfortunately in the meantime Lucas' ventricles have continued to grow and are now considered severely enlarged.
The week of July 18th, Tosha and Russell took a trip to Boston to visit the Boston's Childrens' Hospital for additional blood work, tests, ultrasounds, and a fetal MRI. The specialists in Boston believe Lucas' hydrocephally might be caused by X linked Aqueductal Stenosis. They are performing more testing to confirm this diagnosis. I will update regularly as Tosha and Russell receive more information. No matter the diagnosis, upon birth Lucas will need to undergo surgery to reduce the fluid on his brain. The neurosurgeon at the children's hospital in Boston says that Lucas is a candidate for ETV-CPC surgery. Due to his severe case, he recommends that over shunts and the regular ETV, as they perform an extra procedure to increase effectiveness of the surgery and reduce the chance of multiple brain surgeries. Although this surgery has a higher probability of successfully draining the fluid from his brain, they are still unfortunately unable to give a determination of Lucas' quality of life until after his birth and once the fluid is drained. If aqueductal stenosis is the correct diagnosis, they have been told that the risk of delays is still high.
With all of that being said, the surgery can only be performed at the Children's hospital in Boston. Best case scenario, Tosha will need to be in Boston for a period of time before delivery (at least one week for monitoring) and for nearly a month after, assuming Lucas has done well with his surgery.
My hope for this go fund me account is that we can show Tosha, Russell, and Lucas how many people care about them, love them, and support them. And while doing that, we can help relieve some of the financial burden (from medical expenses to lodging expenses, and everything in between) that will come along with this long road they have ahead of them. I appreciate you all even reading through this and know that any little bit helps.
I will update regularly as they receive additional information or diagnosis. However in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Lida Bright
Everybody who knows Tosha and Russell love them dearly. They are two of the most caring and loving people I know. Tosha is a huge champion of the March of Dimes and the Children's Miracle network through her job at Publix. Now unfortunately the person who has done so much to help those little babies, is in need of some help of her own. Tosha is currently pregnant with a handsome little boy named Lucas Lee Landrus. Baby Lucas is going to have a long road ahead of him and will face many challenges in his young life, so we are hoping that Tosha and Russell can try not to worry about the financial burden, as much, and focus on the necessary care and love for their baby boy.
To give a little more information on Lucas' condition, I will give you the back story, but please forgive me if I butcher the medical terminology:
At approximately 20 weeks pregnant during her routine ultrasound it was discovered that Lucas had Fetal Ventriculomegaly. At that time the ventricles to Lucas' brain were considered moderately enlarged. This was just the beginning of the whirlwind of doctors visits, tests, long weeks awaiting results, restless nights. During this process the perinatalologist also believed Lucas had additional heart conditions which might have lead to his enlarged ventricles. Further tests and specialist visits have since ruled that out. This was a bit of relief, but at the same time just left more questions. Unfortunately in the meantime Lucas' ventricles have continued to grow and are now considered severely enlarged.
The week of July 18th, Tosha and Russell took a trip to Boston to visit the Boston's Childrens' Hospital for additional blood work, tests, ultrasounds, and a fetal MRI. The specialists in Boston believe Lucas' hydrocephally might be caused by X linked Aqueductal Stenosis. They are performing more testing to confirm this diagnosis. I will update regularly as Tosha and Russell receive more information. No matter the diagnosis, upon birth Lucas will need to undergo surgery to reduce the fluid on his brain. The neurosurgeon at the children's hospital in Boston says that Lucas is a candidate for ETV-CPC surgery. Due to his severe case, he recommends that over shunts and the regular ETV, as they perform an extra procedure to increase effectiveness of the surgery and reduce the chance of multiple brain surgeries. Although this surgery has a higher probability of successfully draining the fluid from his brain, they are still unfortunately unable to give a determination of Lucas' quality of life until after his birth and once the fluid is drained. If aqueductal stenosis is the correct diagnosis, they have been told that the risk of delays is still high.
With all of that being said, the surgery can only be performed at the Children's hospital in Boston. Best case scenario, Tosha will need to be in Boston for a period of time before delivery (at least one week for monitoring) and for nearly a month after, assuming Lucas has done well with his surgery.
My hope for this go fund me account is that we can show Tosha, Russell, and Lucas how many people care about them, love them, and support them. And while doing that, we can help relieve some of the financial burden (from medical expenses to lodging expenses, and everything in between) that will come along with this long road they have ahead of them. I appreciate you all even reading through this and know that any little bit helps.
I will update regularly as they receive additional information or diagnosis. However in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Lida Bright
Organizer and beneficiary
Lida Saadat Bright
Organizer
Palm Bay, FL
Tosha Landrus
Beneficiary
