If there was ever a post that I didn't want to write - this one would have to rank up there as the all time winner. This is a sad drama involving my girlfriend's niece and her newly born great-nephew.
Imagine a couple married for a couple three years - he is a young guy in the Navy and she is a young bride away from all of her family. He is working on a boat in harbor in San Diego. He has no threat to be sent to active war but military is military. If you aren't doing the fighting, you are supporting those that do.
It's time to have your baby - the anticipation of your first child. Maddox is born. You are making the adjustments that new parents have to make. At one and a half months, baby acne develops. You make 6 trips back and forth to the doctor to rectify the condition. While irritating and less than optimal, babies get "stuff" as they acclimate to this new world that they have entered. At 4 months, your happy little baby wakes up with a goopy little eye and a slight fever too. While not what anyone wants, it's another normal annoyance your little one has to endure. As a mother, you sense it may be a little bit more than that so you make another trip to the pediatrician. Within a day, you are told.....
That your precious newborn who seems perfectly normal except for a skin condition - will most likely die in the next few months.
He's admitted to the hospital - on the spot. The baby is isolated which you are told is mandatory for his condition. You make a visit to his room. As is normal, a transfer to another room soon becomes in order.
When you arrive at the new room - you find another baby there. "Wait...isn't my baby supposed to be isolated?" you quickly ask.
"Ooops, that was a mistake. We got caught in a shift change" - it's not what you want to hear but you thank God that you were there.
Flash forward a couple of days later - the nurse comes in and says, "by the looks of this chart, this is a 9 month old, 6 pound baby." You say, "no, he is 4 months old and weighs 15 pounds." The nurse reminds you that she is right until you have her look at the child....
"Well....that is what it said in the chart" - and after letting the nurse know that the chart is wrong, you now know that you have to keep the vigil at that hospital bed no matter what the outcome ends up being. You probably would have anyway but with two obvious oversights in the first week, you trust you and you alone.
The baby soon must be transferred to another hospital 2-3 hours away - the father has to keep working. You have to quit your minimum wage job and leave home to stay with the baby.
Every hour you have to leave the room - so you can be rescrubbed and put on new sanitary skivvies just so you can be able to reach out and touch your flesh and blood with your gloved hands.
The baby is happy, googly, and flirting with the staff - like good babies do...but you know that a bone marrow transplant is the only way that this baby has a chance. You aren't even sure what is wrong with the child. Their is a suspicion that it is Omenn's Syndrome. If it isn't that, it's some sort of SCID (Severe Combined Immunio Deficiency).
Please pray for Baby Maddox - and for his mother, Amanda, and her husband Jason. Remember, Amanda isn't working. She has to stay at cheap hotels by the hospital. Right now, she is able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house. While grateful for that, it still has a $14 a night charge. It's $14 that is tough to come by when you weren't exactly living life to the hilt before leaving your minimum wage job.
This ordeal could last for 4....8...12 months - so, besides your prayers, if you can find anything in your pocket to spare it would be deeply and gratefully appreciated. Donations can be made here:
BabyMaddoxFundRaiser
If you want to know more about the story, you can click here:
BabyMaddoxStoryBoard
Trust me - there's no internet scam involved here. Just a young couple in a very dire situation where the best you have to hope for is a successful bone marrow transplant and a bunch of financial strain. While a bit helpless regarding the former, a little from a lot of people can help take care of the latter.
4 comments:
Scott, thank you for sharing this heart-wrenching story. It's incredible how things can change so fast and good health just evaporate.
Maddox is just adorable - prayers with him and his family.
-Aly
We will definately keep them in our prayers.
-n
I put up a note about the baby on my blog and donated what I could, which isn't much -- But, they aren't asking for much! Heck, the family is just asking for 5000 and they are over half way there. If a bunch of us gave 10, 20 bucks or so, we could get to their goal.
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