Love for Lydia

Timothy and Amber are expecting their second baby girl, Lydia Mae, in mid-September 2018.
 
In May during a routine ultrasound, they received the news that their little girl has a variety of heart complications. Lydia has been diagnosed with the following heart defects:
 
·     Dextroposition - her heart is on the right side of her body instead of the left
·     Transposition of the great arteries - the aorta is connected to the right ventricle, and the pulmonary artery is connected to the left ventricle – opposite of a typical heart
·     L-transposition - the lower half of her heart is reversed
·     Atrial septal defect and ventricle septal defect - she has two holes in her heart
·     Pulmonary atresia - her pulmonary artery is missing
 
The two biggest issues are the transposition of the great arteries and the pulmonary atresia. Without the pulmonary artery Lydia’s blood will not flow properly to her lungs to receive the oxygen supply she needs to survive. This needs to be addressed immediately; therefore, within 3-7 days after birth she will need to have the first of what will ultimately be multiple heart surgeries.  In this first operation they will implant a stint to keep blood flowing to her lungs.  This however will only work for a short period of time and is intended to allow her to get strong enough to undergo more extensive surgery.  
 
At about 6-9 months, she will need donor tissue to create a pulmonary artery to replace the stint. At this time, they also hope to correct the transposition of the arteries allowing the ventricles to work properly.  The implanted artery will not grow with her, so Lydia will need multiple surgeries throughout the course of her childhood to replace the artery with larger, more compatible arteries.  
 
Aside from her heart, Lydia is developmentally on par and still has a couple of months before she graces us with her presence. During this time, she will get bigger and stronger to put her in a better position for all that she is going to face after she is born.
 
Since there is not a surgeon in Glens Falls Hospital capable of handling these complicated surgeries, Amber, Tim and Lydia will go through all of the above, including delivery in Boston, MA. Amber and Tim will incur travel, food, hotel, and various other expenses. There is also very likely to be medical costs outside of what their insurance will cover. To compound this anxiety, both Amber and Tim will likely miss time at work.
 
All Amber and Tim want is for Lydia to come out strong and to have everything go according to plan so they can watch her live a normal, healthy life alongside her big sister, Lilly. Even though this is all they ask for - we all know too well what kind of stress comes with worrying about finances. Between the delivery, open heart surgeries, and travel/living expenses, undoubtedly it will be more than we can estimate.
 
While Amber and Tim focus on doctors’ appointments and consultations on top of work, taking care of Lilly, and making typical preparations for a new baby, friends and family want to help ease the financial burden that will undoubtedly befall them come September. Please consider donating to help baby Lydia and her family.
 
“Sometimes superheroes reside in the hearts of small children fighting big battles.” – Unknown