Blessings for Booker
This adorable little man is my nephew, Booker Jay Robert Blackwell. He was born on December 3rd at 2pm.
Soon after being born his doctors discovered he was born with a rare birth defect called Tracheoesophageal Fistula. Tracheoesophageal fistula is a connection between the esophagus and the trachea. This means when he swallows liquid passes through a connection between the esophagus and trachea, which allows liquid to get into his lungs. Tracheoesophageal fistula often occurs with Esophageal Atresia. Esophageal Artesia is when the esophagus forms in two parts instead of one and are not connected correctly. Booker was born with both.
Booker was flown to Geisinger Medical Center Thursday night and underwent a surgery to repair his esophagus Monday morning. While we are pleased to announce that the surgery went very well, this also means that my sister and her husband, Kate and Willie Blackwell, will endure many unexpected expenses in order to stay with their beautiful baby boy! Not only are they paying $100 per night for a hotel room, they are also paying for three meals a day. Not to mention they have regular monthly bills like the rest of us!
My sister Kate is also recovering from a c-section. She is self-employed as a hairdresser and will not have a typical 8 week paid maternity leave. We are hoping my brother-in-law,whom is a supervisor for an oil and gas service company, is able to stay with her and the baby for as long as possible. They are first time parents, and I can’t even begin to describe how strong they have been for their baby boy! This little man is so blessed to have them as his parents!
Ultimately, my family’s wish is for Kate and Willie to be able to stay with Booker Jay for the duration of his recovery as stress free as possible. We want them to focus on their amazing little boy instead of worry about bills and the unexpected expenses that seem to keep adding up as the days pass.
While I know that these unprecedented times are extremely stressful mentally, physically, emotionally and financially for everyone, Willie and Kate are experiencing a significant hardship in all of the aforementioned areas on top of all the other worries of today’s world. In order to try to alleviate some of the stresses, I would love to try to raise some money for them to be able to stay with Booker as long as possible without worrying about making ends meet. Your gracious donation of any amount, big or small, will be appreciated in more ways than you could ever imagine. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!