Team Tommy - T21 Support & Hope

My name is Kathy Rose. My nephew Joe and his wife Leah have been blessed with 4 healthy children aged 7 and under, with the 5th due in early February. In mid-October, they found out that their little boy, Tommy, will be born with Down Syndrome, and with it, a condition known as duodenal atresia (basically a knot in the intestines), which will require immediate surgery after birth. To complicate things, Tommy was recently diagnosed with meconium peritonitis, a rare condition affecting only 1 in 35,000 live births, which causes baby stool to leak into the chest cavity. Their anticipated NICU stay just ballooned from 2-4 weeks to at least 4 months.

The doctors locally are not able to perform the delicate surgeries that my nephew requires, so they will be 2 hours away in Rochester and away from their children. As such, we have to make arrangements for their children's care while they watch over their baby's progress, as well as find a way to plan for a lifetime of additional expenses.

I am raising funds for them for 3 specific purposes:
1. To cover their immediate, medium term, and lifetime expenses associated with Down Syndrome and the various conditions that the DS diagnosis puts Tommy at risk for (vision, digestive, auditory, etc.)
2. To establish a fund to allow the family to travel for clinical trials. Joe  and Leah joined a clinical study of Down Syndrome fetal brain research and traveled to Tufts Medical Center in Boston. They want to give back to the scientific community by participating in as many trials as possible to help research with the possibility of helpful therapies for future babies.
3. To allow for resources for an advocacy fund for Down Syndrome acceptance and awareness. 2/3rds of babies diagnosed prenatally are terminated in the US. Joe feels very passionately about this, and I want to help him advocate for children with special needs.

Joe and Leah know that God has chosen them to care for this child. In the US, 2 out of every 3 babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted. Our hope is that with your help, we can share Tommy's story and spread the message that life is precious and valuable in all its forms, from conception to natural death. If you are able to help, please donate. Thank you and God bless you for your generosity!