❤️️Love and Prayers for WHITLEY❤️️

Dearest family, friends, and prayer warriors,

First, let us extend our thanks to everyone for all their love, support, and prayers at this most difficult time. We could not have made it this far without you! But now more than ever, we need you all!

On December 21, 2016, Whitley went in for a tonsilectomy due to her repeated strep throat and abscesses that even antibiotics could not help. On December 24, 2016, she was rushed to the hospital via ambulance with trouble breathing, very low blood pressure, and increased heart rate. She was admitted into ICU with septic shock. While being treated for septic shock, she became acidic and then developed ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) By 3am Christmas morning she was sedated, intubated, and placed on a ventilator to help her with her breathing. On December 27th, Whitley was transferred to Emory University Hospital via airplane and then placed on an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) in the CVICU. Her doctors did this in hopes that it would give her lungs some time to rest and to heal, but by December 30, after brain scans were performed, we were told Whitley had suffered a stroke(s) and that if she did wake, she would not be functional. She now has limited time on the ECMO, due to discontinued use of heparin because of her brain bleed. It is our hope and we do pray that Whitley will defy the odds as she has so many times in her short life! She has already shown signs of normal brain function! She has blinked and nodded her head on command, praise the Lord for miracles! Now we are praying harder than ever that her lungs heal in record time!

Whitley is only 25 years old, but has suffered more illness and pain than most of us will ever in our lifetime. She has suffered with Crohn's disease since she was 7 and has had multiple hospitalizations and surgeries, including the removal of a GIST. Despite this, Whitley is the picture of optimism and deals with day to day pain with grace and no complaints. She is passionate about her family, friends and , her fur baby Leo!
She truly is a beautiful human being inside and out. When she is able to, she enjoys creating art, with painting being her favorite. She definitely has a God given talent!

Above all Whitley is a SURVIVER, a FIGHTER, and a WARRIOR! Let's fight with her by praying, and giving support in any way that you feel you are lead to. Any amount helps! Thanks SO very much for your LOVE and COMPASSION! It means the world to us! GOD BLESS! We LOVE YOU WHITLEY! ❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️