Erica & Bryson Need Your Help!
Donation protected
In April 2015, my sister, Erica called to tell me that she was expecting a baby. She was a single, 40 year old at the time and didn't have any other children. What a blessing!
Erica suffers with fibroid tumors and along with her age caused this pregnancy to be considered high risk so she had regular appointments with an OB-GYN and a prenatal specialist.
Nothing could have prepared us for what happened on August 20, 2015. It was time we found out if I was going to have a niece or nephew. That appointment rocked ALL of our worlds. She found out that she was having a boy and so much more. During the ultrasound the specialist saw several issues that concerned him greatly. The ultrasound showed the fetus had bilateral cleft lip and palate, hands were clinched which is not normal at this stage, he had a VSD (whole in heart) and lastly, he appeared to have rocker bottom feet.
This could mean my nephew may have a fatal chromosomal anomaly so the specialist suggested that she agree to an emergency amniocentesis. Erica had to decide right then because she was only 6 days from the legal deadline for termination IF that is what she chose to do. She agreed to the amniocentesis and got results in 24 hours stating that he did NOT have any fatal anomalies. Praise God! What a relief, right? Well, little did she know, the remainder of the test results wouldn’t be in for 2 weeks and those results would tell if he had ANY other chromosomal anomalies that weren't fatal but could affect him negatively.
Five days later she was presented with the question from the Ob-Gyn if she wanted to proceed with the pregnancy or terminate. Remember, at this point, she didn’t have all the data/information needed to be able to make that decision and be comfortable with that decision. She loved her unborn son and has great faith so she replied, “I want to have my baby; I do NOT want to terminate.” That statement was the beginning of a journey that neither she or I could have prepared for even if we tried.
Since then, God has shown himself strong in their lives. She gave birth to a son on November 23, 2015 and named him Bryson Charles. He weighed 3.7 lbs and 15-3/4” long. He was 6 weeks premature with IUGR which stands for intrauterine growth restriction. God healed him while in her wound of 3 of the 4 issues that the Dr. originally said he’d have- his heart is perfect and his feet and hands are too.
Bryson spent the next 42 days in Texas Children’s NICU building his strength enough to go home.
Because of his cleft lip and palate, at 4 weeks old, Erica chose to have a feeding apparatus (g-button) surgically put in Bryson's stomach. The cleft caused him to tire out when feeding by mouth so he wasn’t drinking enough from the bottle to sustain his health. The issue with his left ear is not only cosmetic but he also has some hearing loss on that side. Plus, he was diagnosed with hydronephrosis which is reflux of the kidneys.
Aside from Bryson's physical/health challenges, Erica was laid off in March 2016. She received a small severance and applied for unemployment. She decided to take that time to be a full time mom because Bryson was in a very fragile state.
Bryson has had 3 surgeries in the first 16 months of his life, with a few pending in the near future. Erica has been and is currently looking for employment, she was in the oil industry. She is applying in that industry but not limiting herself to it, she has an accounting degree with previous warehouse management experience, procesessing and HR, but hasn’t gotten a solid lead yet. Bryson is currently receiving government assistance so she has to consider when accepting a job that it will be enough salary to maintain her household/ living expenses/daycare and offer medical benefits.
The last 2 years has been extremely difficult for Erica. Especially since she and Bryson live 2 hours away from us, her immediate family, and she is a single parent. She currently has no income and is in a very fragile financial state with the very real possibility of losing her home.
I’ve included pictures to show Bryson’s progress from birth. He’s in a much better place now but still has to address the hearing loss and cosmetic correction of his left ear, the kidney reflux, and continue to work on drinking solely by mouth so that he can get rid of the g-button. He has been a fighter since conception. When no one else believed that he’d make it, Erica did and together with God, they fought and are still fighting!
We want to thank you in advance for your prayers and any monetary donations. Erica and Bryson are extremely grateful!
May God multiply your gift back to you tenfold!
Sean Ardoin
http://abc13.com/1150185/
Above is a link to a news story done on Bryson before being discharged from hospital.
Erica suffers with fibroid tumors and along with her age caused this pregnancy to be considered high risk so she had regular appointments with an OB-GYN and a prenatal specialist.
Nothing could have prepared us for what happened on August 20, 2015. It was time we found out if I was going to have a niece or nephew. That appointment rocked ALL of our worlds. She found out that she was having a boy and so much more. During the ultrasound the specialist saw several issues that concerned him greatly. The ultrasound showed the fetus had bilateral cleft lip and palate, hands were clinched which is not normal at this stage, he had a VSD (whole in heart) and lastly, he appeared to have rocker bottom feet.
This could mean my nephew may have a fatal chromosomal anomaly so the specialist suggested that she agree to an emergency amniocentesis. Erica had to decide right then because she was only 6 days from the legal deadline for termination IF that is what she chose to do. She agreed to the amniocentesis and got results in 24 hours stating that he did NOT have any fatal anomalies. Praise God! What a relief, right? Well, little did she know, the remainder of the test results wouldn’t be in for 2 weeks and those results would tell if he had ANY other chromosomal anomalies that weren't fatal but could affect him negatively.
Five days later she was presented with the question from the Ob-Gyn if she wanted to proceed with the pregnancy or terminate. Remember, at this point, she didn’t have all the data/information needed to be able to make that decision and be comfortable with that decision. She loved her unborn son and has great faith so she replied, “I want to have my baby; I do NOT want to terminate.” That statement was the beginning of a journey that neither she or I could have prepared for even if we tried.
Since then, God has shown himself strong in their lives. She gave birth to a son on November 23, 2015 and named him Bryson Charles. He weighed 3.7 lbs and 15-3/4” long. He was 6 weeks premature with IUGR which stands for intrauterine growth restriction. God healed him while in her wound of 3 of the 4 issues that the Dr. originally said he’d have- his heart is perfect and his feet and hands are too.
Bryson spent the next 42 days in Texas Children’s NICU building his strength enough to go home.
Because of his cleft lip and palate, at 4 weeks old, Erica chose to have a feeding apparatus (g-button) surgically put in Bryson's stomach. The cleft caused him to tire out when feeding by mouth so he wasn’t drinking enough from the bottle to sustain his health. The issue with his left ear is not only cosmetic but he also has some hearing loss on that side. Plus, he was diagnosed with hydronephrosis which is reflux of the kidneys.
Aside from Bryson's physical/health challenges, Erica was laid off in March 2016. She received a small severance and applied for unemployment. She decided to take that time to be a full time mom because Bryson was in a very fragile state.
Bryson has had 3 surgeries in the first 16 months of his life, with a few pending in the near future. Erica has been and is currently looking for employment, she was in the oil industry. She is applying in that industry but not limiting herself to it, she has an accounting degree with previous warehouse management experience, procesessing and HR, but hasn’t gotten a solid lead yet. Bryson is currently receiving government assistance so she has to consider when accepting a job that it will be enough salary to maintain her household/ living expenses/daycare and offer medical benefits.
The last 2 years has been extremely difficult for Erica. Especially since she and Bryson live 2 hours away from us, her immediate family, and she is a single parent. She currently has no income and is in a very fragile financial state with the very real possibility of losing her home.
I’ve included pictures to show Bryson’s progress from birth. He’s in a much better place now but still has to address the hearing loss and cosmetic correction of his left ear, the kidney reflux, and continue to work on drinking solely by mouth so that he can get rid of the g-button. He has been a fighter since conception. When no one else believed that he’d make it, Erica did and together with God, they fought and are still fighting!
We want to thank you in advance for your prayers and any monetary donations. Erica and Bryson are extremely grateful!
May God multiply your gift back to you tenfold!
Sean Ardoin
http://abc13.com/1150185/
Above is a link to a news story done on Bryson before being discharged from hospital.
Organizer
Sean Ardoin
Organizer
Lake Charles, LA