Lucia's Craniosynostosis Surgery

We had our first baby, Lucia Ines, on May 31, 2017. She’s been a ray of sunshine in our lives, each day bringing us joy. But it’s been a rough first year. The day she was born, the obstetrician performed an external cephalic version, a procedure to turn breech babies head down. This resulted in a placental tear, so Lucia was born later that day via an emergency C-section, four weeks before her due date.

Shortly after birth, Lucia was diagnosed with a hairline fracture on her femur, as a result of being turned head down. Within the first few months, she was diagnosed with a sacrococcygeal teratoma, an unusual tumor that develops at the base of the coccyx (the tailbone) and occurs in roughly 1:35,000 births. She was also diagnosed with laryngomalacia, commonly known as “floppy airway,” where the tissues of the larynx (voice box) above the vocal cords aren’t fully developed and still soft.



At three months old, Lucia had surgery at Children’s Health in Dallas to remove the teratoma. When she was nine months old, she was diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a birth defect in which one or more of the fibrous joints between the bones of the baby's skull (cranial sutures) close prematurely (fuse), before the baby's brain is fully formed. This occurs in roughly 1:2,000 babies.

Lucia will be having her second surgery—a cranial vault remodeling called “fronto-orbital advancement—on July 17, 2018, at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.


Before we were on Medicaid, we were on private health insurance, which meant deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs. We lost Medicaid in March of 2018 because of Alexandra’s new job—she was making just enough to put them over the monthly limit. The only insurance accessible through her new job was through the Marketplace Exchange. It turned out that very few places accepted this new health insurance, so we acquired more out of pocket expenses.

We are grateful that Texas Children’s Hospital is providing generous financial assistance, however we will still be responsible for paying a deductible. In addition, because of the multiple trips we’ve had to make to Houston from San Antonio, where we currently live, we’ve had significant travel and lodging expenses.

In 2017, we had over $13,000 in medical expenses, which we’re not even close to paying off, and this year we’ve already racked up several thousand in more in debt.

Since Lucia has been born, we have been on a single income (Alexandra’s), so one of us would be able to stay home to take care of Lucia. Daniel has stayed home to get Lucia through the surgery recoveries, as well as help her through her developmental delays, likely caused by one or more of her conditions. Lucia hasn’t been able to start on physical therapy due to insurance issues.

Sometimes we need to reach out to our family, friends and communities for help. We are asking for donations to help reduce some of the financial burden associated with medical expenses and travel related costs. Every bit will help during this difficult time.

Please keep Lucia in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through this surgery to recovery.

To learn more about Lucia's story, visit: http://undercovermexicangirl.com/category/blog/

We humbly thank you for listening to our story,
Alexandra, Daniel, and Lucia



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