Giving Sadie a fighting chance

As the beginning of the new year became visible on the horizon and our family watched another year passing, my wife and I sent out more wishes unto the universe for blessings and grace with hope for the future and our desperation to see our family grow. After years of disappointment with attempts to expand our love with the addition of a child we had all but lost most hopes of this endeavor and were preparing for more of the same. We never imagined seeing another line on a pregnancy test after the heartbreak of the loss of our unborn baby the prior year but fate was tossing us a line to grasp hold to. We were being given another chance, a rainbow baby to take away our sorrow.

Keeping quiet for fear of bringing ruin to our hopes and dreams the days turned to weeks, the weeks to months and we finally broke through the first trimester for our darling daughter, Sadie. Smiles and love became abundant as we looked forward to our delivery date of June 18th 2023. Never had I been so excited as the day of our big ultrasound to see the individual details of our darling bundle of joy... until they whisked us away and placed us in the emergency room filled with a great many doctors and nurses scrambling and speaking of flight-for-life.

Amber's cervix had been deemed incompetent and had shortened to a small 2cm as I was told to rush her 300 miles away for an emergency surgery. After spending a week in the NCIU, prepping for surgery and mitigating the symptoms of this heartbreaking discovery I remained hopeful and thankful for all that we could recover.

Tragedy and adversity continued to show its ugly face when a blinding light led to the loss of our only vehicle in mere seconds, an accident stripping us of our ability to reasonably get to and from the many doctor appointments ahead once Amber would be released from the NICU ward. A totalled vehicle with a large loan still responsible for.

We returned home with the help and love of friends and took turns comforting the other as we reassured each other that all the years negatives must already have been spent- only good would be on the horizon.

If only that had been the case for a week and a half later life decided to continue to throw challenges- we would have to return immediately to the NCIU 300 miles away as complications for Sadie had took a turn for the worse. A parents worst fears became realized as the words fell, at a mere 23 weeks of gestation, Amber was beginning the stages of labor and had dilated to 3cm, her cervix shortening again to not more than 2mm. The surgery had failed to protect baby Sadie and the water had begun to break, her only chance for survival would be left to medication to stave off the preterm labor as long as we can.

Today at the beginning of week 24 we remain hopeful and terrified as the medical bills begin to roll in, fighting with insurance to attempt to at least get the loan on our demolished vehicle washed away, and the lack of income from Amber's full time job as well as my two jobs beginning to take its toll.

Few things in life have been so hard as to leave Amber scared and alone 300 miles away for the next 12-15 weeks to return to work- hoping and praying that Sadie doesn't grace this world with her presence for that time. We ask the universe only for our daughter to be safe so we can love her the way we always have dreamt of.

We need your help to support Sadie's mounting medical bills, as well as provide reliable transportation in this time of great adversities.

Our campaign goal is $50,000. This will be used in the following ways:

- Payment of remaining totalled vehicle loan after insurance payment (estimated at $6,000)

-Payment of current pregnancy bills (total so far without issuance of emergency surgery bills / NICU visits: $5,000)

-Payment of injury bills due to followup after car accident to myself (Estimated with rehab at $5,000)

-Payment of impending NICU / Emergency surgery cerclage treatment (Estimated at $20,000)

-Purchase of reliable vehicle ($10,000)

-Assistance for loss of income ($4,000)

Thank you for reading Sadie's story. We appreciate any help or contribution, no matter how big or small! If possible, please share our campaign link on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and with your friends. We will keep you posted on the use of funds and her progress going forward. Any questions, please contact [email redacted]