Support Ali (Rosentrater) Goodenow & family

Kenny and Allison Goodenow are the parents of Bo, Oliana, Kenny IV and are pregnant with baby Hope.

After their anatomy scan, the Goodenow family was informed that Hope has a complex Congenital Heart Defect. They diagnosed her with Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV), Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) and a Giant Omphalocele.

They also discovered that Ali has Placenta Percreta.

The Goodenow family is facing travel expenses, medical expenses and Ali will not be able to teach while in Omaha. Donations will go towards living expenses, travel, and medical bills.

DORV - In DORV, the pulmonary artery and the aorta — the heart’s two major arteries — both connect to the right ventricle. In a normal heart, the pulmonary artery connects to the right ventricle, and the aorta connects to the left ventricle. DORV creates a problem because the right ventricle carries oxygen-poor blood, which then gets circulated in the body.

VSD - Another heart condition, called a ventricular septal defect (VSD), always occurs with DORV. This is a hole in the tissue wall that normally separates the right and left ventricles. The VSD allows oxygen-rich blood to pass from the left ventricle to the aorta and pulmonary artery. But even with this added oxygen, the body may still not get enough, causing the heart to work harder.

TGA - In transposition of the great arteries, the “great” arteries, the aorta and the right ventricle, are reversed in their origins from the heart. The aorta is connected to the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery is connected to the left ventricle — exactly the opposite of a normal heart’s anatomy.

With these arteries reversed, oxygen-poor blood returns to the right atrium from the body, passes into the right ventricle, then goes into the aorta and back to the body. Oxygen-rich blood returns to the left atrium from the lungs and passes into the left ventricle, which pumps it back to the lungs — the opposite of the way blood normally circulates.

The surgical team at Children’s hospital in Omaha plans to operate on Hope’s heart when she is 3-5 months old.

Omphalocele - a birth defect in which an infant's intestine or other abdominal organs are outside of the body because of a hole in the belly button area. The intestines are covered only by a thin layer of tissue and can be easily seen.

Hope’s intestines, kidneys and liver are involved. Hope will need this surgically corrected - timing for this surgery will depend on Hope’s heart surgery and how the omphalocele heals after delivery. The plan is to allow the sac to dry and the surrounding skin to grow over it.

Because the sac is not in her abdomen, Hope’s lungs are not developing as they should - after delivery they will know more on this. This will be a major factor in how long the Goodenow family will be in Omaha.

Ali - Placenta percreta - The placenta attaches itself and grows through the uterus, sometimes extending to nearby organs, in Ali’s case - the bladder.

When it involves the urinary bladder, a multidisciplinary approach utilizing a team of physicians and surgeons representing urology, radiology, and obstetricsgynecology is the key to successful management. Every attempt should be made to achieve the diagnosis antenatally, to minimize blood loss, and to preserve the bladder.

Ali’s surgical team plans to deliver baby Hope via C-section at 34 weeks and immediately after, Ali will have a hysterectomy and bladder repair. This can help prevent bleeding from becoming life threatening.

Placenta percreta is the rarest and most severe form of placenta accreta. Because of its propensity for severe hemorrhage, it is a potentially life-threatening condition.

As recommended by the surgical team, Ali will be moving to Omaha on March 10th because of her high risk for hemorrhage.

Allison is currently a fourth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary in North Platte, Nebraska. Although she is sad to leave her educational family and students behind, she understands that because of the severity of her condition it is best for her to be in Omaha.

The Goodenow family is very thankful and appreciative of all prayers, donations, support, thoughts and fundraising that friends, family and coworkers are doing to help them out in all possible ways during this journey.