Jenn Kim is fundraising
Honoring Desmond through ALDEA
We want to honor Desmond Kangjun Gaur-Kim's memory by raising funds for Aldea - The People's Justice Center, and any donation will help make an impact.
We received the diagnosis of Dezzie's congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) during our routine 20-week anatomy ultrasound. By then, I had been feeling him kick and move around inside of me for weeks, and thanks to modern medicine and my advanced maternal age, had known we were having a boy for almost 2 months. Vic and I had already named him Desmond, though we kept his name close to our chests.
The remaining 19 weeks of our pregnancy were filled with countless ultrasounds, echo cardiograms, fetal MRI's, surgical and genetic consults, an amniocentesis, and evaluations at both NY Presbyterian and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Eventually, we learned that Dezzie's condition was fairly severe. While the odds of his survival were supposed to be high, we had no way of knowing what the short-term and long-term impact would be; whether he would make an eventual full recovery or have significant, long-term complications. To give him the best fighting chance possible, we made the difficult decision to deliver at CHOP because of their advanced treatment of CDH. At 36 weeks pregnant, we uprooted our lives (including Hazel's) and relocated to Philadelphia for the delivery and Dezzie's impending NICU stay.
Through every heartbreaking and anxiety-inducing appointment, we never doubted we had access to the best medical care possible. We knew we were privileged to have choices, from continuing the pregnancy to relocating to Philadelphia. We were incredibly fortunate to have Vic's physician background to navigate the complicated medical world, and to have the overall support of family, friends, and colleagues to help get us through each day. Eventually, we were lucky enough to meet our son and fall even more deeply in love during the 12 precious days we had with him. We were able to see his eyes open as he heard our voices for the first time. We were able to stroke his hair, read to him, give him breast milk swabs, stare into his beautiful eyes, sing to him, and hold his little hand. When the time came, he passed in our arms knowing, we hope, the love and care we desperately felt for him.
There are days when the grief still feels unbearable, but we are grateful for every second we had with Dezzie, and for the tender care and respect we received throughout his too-short life. It therefore felt significant to learn that less than 70 miles from Dezzie's hospital is the Berks Family Detention Facility, where immigrant families are detained while seeking asylum. The organization ALDEA-The People's Justice Center provides zealous legal representation to these detained families, fighting for their access to basic medical care like lice and flu treatment, and ensuring that "no parent and child detained is forced to navigate the complex immigration process alone." Aldea also represents the parents of children who have tragically and senselessly died during detainment, as well as the growing number of parents forcibly separated from their children by Customs and Border Patrol.
While we continue to mourn Dezzie, we cannot think of a better way to honor his memory than to support an organization that is intent on giving immigrant families and children the dignity and care that were afforded to our Dezzie.
Aldea - The People's Justice Center : The concept of the Aldea (Village) is a community living together and caring for each other's needs. In that spirit, the mission of Aldea is to provide a holistic approach to meeting the multi-faceted needs of our immigrant community members, including through legal service, social, educational, and medical services.
We received the diagnosis of Dezzie's congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) during our routine 20-week anatomy ultrasound. By then, I had been feeling him kick and move around inside of me for weeks, and thanks to modern medicine and my advanced maternal age, had known we were having a boy for almost 2 months. Vic and I had already named him Desmond, though we kept his name close to our chests.
The remaining 19 weeks of our pregnancy were filled with countless ultrasounds, echo cardiograms, fetal MRI's, surgical and genetic consults, an amniocentesis, and evaluations at both NY Presbyterian and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Eventually, we learned that Dezzie's condition was fairly severe. While the odds of his survival were supposed to be high, we had no way of knowing what the short-term and long-term impact would be; whether he would make an eventual full recovery or have significant, long-term complications. To give him the best fighting chance possible, we made the difficult decision to deliver at CHOP because of their advanced treatment of CDH. At 36 weeks pregnant, we uprooted our lives (including Hazel's) and relocated to Philadelphia for the delivery and Dezzie's impending NICU stay.
Through every heartbreaking and anxiety-inducing appointment, we never doubted we had access to the best medical care possible. We knew we were privileged to have choices, from continuing the pregnancy to relocating to Philadelphia. We were incredibly fortunate to have Vic's physician background to navigate the complicated medical world, and to have the overall support of family, friends, and colleagues to help get us through each day. Eventually, we were lucky enough to meet our son and fall even more deeply in love during the 12 precious days we had with him. We were able to see his eyes open as he heard our voices for the first time. We were able to stroke his hair, read to him, give him breast milk swabs, stare into his beautiful eyes, sing to him, and hold his little hand. When the time came, he passed in our arms knowing, we hope, the love and care we desperately felt for him.
There are days when the grief still feels unbearable, but we are grateful for every second we had with Dezzie, and for the tender care and respect we received throughout his too-short life. It therefore felt significant to learn that less than 70 miles from Dezzie's hospital is the Berks Family Detention Facility, where immigrant families are detained while seeking asylum. The organization ALDEA-The People's Justice Center provides zealous legal representation to these detained families, fighting for their access to basic medical care like lice and flu treatment, and ensuring that "no parent and child detained is forced to navigate the complex immigration process alone." Aldea also represents the parents of children who have tragically and senselessly died during detainment, as well as the growing number of parents forcibly separated from their children by Customs and Border Patrol.
While we continue to mourn Dezzie, we cannot think of a better way to honor his memory than to support an organization that is intent on giving immigrant families and children the dignity and care that were afforded to our Dezzie.
Aldea - The People's Justice Center : The concept of the Aldea (Village) is a community living together and caring for each other's needs. In that spirit, the mission of Aldea is to provide a holistic approach to meeting the multi-faceted needs of our immigrant community members, including through legal service, social, educational, and medical services.
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