Archer’s Unexpected Adventure

This past July, God blessed our family with a precious new addition. My sister, Kalyn, and brother-in-law, Addison, welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world, Archer David Janz. Born full term, Archer received a clean bill of health, and three days later, he joined his parents and big sister, Lucy, at home.

Although Archer had a bit of difficulty with feedings, he seemed to be doing well overall. However, at four weeks to the day, every parent’s worst fear was realized when Archer stopped breathing during his bath. This was his first BRUE episode. Fortunately, our mom, a retired nurse, and both Kalyn and Addy were all there, and the EMTs were there within 5 minutes. At Children’s of Alabama, he was stabilized, and the tests began.

This marked the beginning of what would be a hard and exhausting road for baby Archer and my family. He would proceed to have several more of these BRUE episodes and had trouble with swallowing and aspirating during feedings. Something no parent should ever have to encounter, my sister heartbreakingly stated, “You never get used to seeing your baby turn blue and limp”. Baby Archer was hospitalized on several occasions, this last time, for a month. Doctors did extensive testing, and he had a team of specialists at Children’s from over ten departments searching for answers and ruling out conditions for this precious child.

Ultimately, Archer was diagnosed with laryngomalacia, hypotonia, central and obstructive sleep apnea, and BRUE episodes. When the doctors performed a scope on his airway, it collapsed. They called it a “floppy” airway. Last month, it came to the point where the only option left was a tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube for this little baby.

Today, Archer has been back home for a week, and life looks much different for Kalyn and Addy. They have had extensive training on how to care for an infant with a trach who is on constant oxygen and monitoring and has a feeding tube. They are very much learning to navigate this new normal for their sweet little family.

While Kalyn and Addy both have good jobs, and health insurance does cover some of the medical expenses, there are still quite a few expensive necessities for baby Archer that insurance does not cover, such as generators and air purifiers. Also, with the new year coming, there are hefty new insurance deductibles. Kalyn will be staying at her job but will be taking her remaining FMLA, which is unpaid, to take care of her babies, as little Lucy is only 2 herself, and none of this has been easy on her either.

If you know Addison and Kalyn Janz, then you know. They are the most generous, loving, loyal, and fiercely protective people. They fight for anyone they love, and they are always there for you, asking for nothing in return. These last few months have rocked their world, and while our families and I have been there to help in every way we possibly could, I knew this fundraiser could be the extra blessing they need to help relieve some of the burden during this very trying time.

The prayers, love, and support have been pouring in the last couple of months and are appreciated more than words could say, and I know many have wanted to help in some way. A gift of any amount will be a blessing to Baby Archer and his family.