Prayer and Support

Prayer Request

Ayla is doing well, but she continues to struggle taking deep breaths, and she still requires suction to remove the mucus from her mouth as she can’t swallow anything yet. I think we’re starting to see that Ayla might have more than just VACTERL. It’s definitely possible that she only has VACTERL and her ear and small jaw are just the result of a Craniofacial Anomaly. Unfortunately, it’s equally possible that Ayla has a combination of VACTERL and another condition. We currently have very little info to go on, and won’t have much for the next couple of weeks. We’ll know more once some additional Genetic and Chromosome work comes back.

So my request is this. Please pray for Ayla. Pray that she will continue to grow and put on weight and that she can learn to use her esophagus soon. It would really put us at ease if she didn’t sound so raspy when she breathes. Pray that her doctors can help us prepare to care for her in the best way possible no matter what her condition(s) may be. For Alaina and I, pray that we can be brave and strong and loving in all situations as we continue on this road.

Awkward

There is no denying it, this post is going to feel awkward. Alaina and I enjoy a relatively simple lifestyle. We have a small house, cars which are both more than 12 years old, one dog, one tv, cable, internet, you know… the basic amenities for a small midwestern family. When we found out we were pregnant, we started to wonder just how much more expensive life would become. One helicopter ride, 15 days in the NICU (and counting), and the first repairs the car has needed since we bought it, and it’s easy to see where things are going. We feel like we have enough, but everyone is telling us that we probably don’t. Everyone is suggesting that life is going to get more and more expensive. We’ve agreed that this is not the time to worry about money, but it’s hard to fully ignore the bills that we’re going to receive for the next… who knows how many years.

Many have asked if they can support us by contributing money or other types of help. It feels awkward and uncomfortable for me to say yes, but yes. It's awkward because again, we feel like we have what we need. Those who have experience in this area continue to urge us to allow people to give. The experienced have explained to us that this will get more expensive than we can possibly know right now.

How To Show Support

When I started thinking about this post I envisioned a list of ways that you could provide support, because I don’t want this to sound like a “Please send money!” post. I really hope this doesn’t come across that way. I would never do that. If you want to support us directly, here are my two suggestions.

Non-Financial (Cards, Messages, Calls, Texts, Hugs, General Help) Financial (Money, Gift Cards, Gas Cards, etc.)

I’m going to end it here because I feel so incredibly uncomfortable talking about this.

Contact Info

Here is how you can contact us if you want to send us cards, money, or other goodies.

(Contact info has been removed from this old blog post.)

To those who have given, continue to give, or decide to give in the future… thank you. We can’t say it enough.

From the NICU, Corey, Alaina, and Ayla