Help for Little Lincoln
Donation protected
Help for Little Lincoln
After both of them spent years of healing from their own heartaches, losses, and divorces, Brittani and Thomas found each other on a faith-based dating app. Their romance thrived and after two and a half years they were married. Thomas, and his then 5 year-old daughter Kennedy, welcomed Brittani into their lives and home with love and joy. God was clearly working in their lives and making all things new. Brittani became an instant mom and the uneasy task of trying to healthily blend a family together began. But Thomas and Brittani still felt that there was one piece to the puzzle that was missing ... having a child of their own, and giving their daughter a sibling. They felt that this would be the final “Linc” in completing their little family.
All was going well with Brittani’s pregnancy. The baby was growing and getting great reports at each prenatal appointment. Then around the 24 week mark in the pregnancy, Brittani began to feel sick and started experiencing what she thought were normal Braxton-Hicks pains. However, these “Braxton-Hicks” pains didn’t feel normal, at least for how they were described medically. So on the Thursday of her 24th week she went in to her OB for a proactive check-up. The results of the check-up came back normal. Baby was still doing well and Brittani had no signs of labor or infection, with the exception of a high white blood cell count. Brittani went home to enjoy the weekend, even though the pains continued. Then came Sunday, which was the start of her 25th week, and that night, after a long day in pain on the couch, Brittani was awoken by even worse pains. This was when she realized that these pains were actual contractions - at 25 weeks. She began to time them and they were 3-4 minutes apart in an hours time. At 2:30am that Monday morning she woke up Thomas and they quickly went to the emergency room, along with a very sleepy daughter.
After being admitted into the labor and delivery ward at Mission Hospital, the doctors confirmed after many tests that Brittani was in fact, in pre-term labor. The task now was to do everything possible to keep the baby in. They tried different medicines to slow down the contractions, which didn’t work, until ultimately putting Brittani on consistent magnesium that began to slow them down. In the meantime, they gave Brittani two steroid shots within a 48 hour period to assist with the baby’s lung growth in case he needed to come out early. Brittani was able to stay on the magnesium from Monday morning all the way until Wednesday afternoon. If you don’t know the horrible effects of being on magnesium, imagine the worst flu you’ve ever had, plus losing your eye-sight and ability to move. For Thomas, this presented a very scary dilemma - watch his wife suffer miserably from the magnesium treatment while they try to keep the baby in the womb - OR - stop his wife’s pain and suffering but in turn risk having their baby be born way too early in his development. Clearly if Brittani was able to stand the magnesium treatment, keeping the baby in the womb was the best option. But it was far from an easy decision. Then Wednesday came. Thomas could barely continue seeing his wife suffer like this anymore, but yielded to medical advice. But ultimately, Brittani’s water broke and the doctors found that she was 3 centimeters dilated. On top of that Brittani was in so much pain in her abdomen and back that doctors feared that there was an infection, which could potentially hurt the baby. The decision was quickly made to perform an emergency C-section. Within the hour, their son Lincoln Judah was born on Wednesday, August 21st, 2019, at 25 weeks and 4 days, and he came out roaring cries like a little lion. It was the most amazing and comforting sound that they could hear in this moment, after days of fear and uncertainty.
Little Lincoln is now in a NICU III unit at CHOC hospital, one of the best in the country. He will be in the NICU for over 3 months until his original due date of December 1st. Not being able to bring Lincoln home right away is one of the worst feelings for mom and dad and their daughter. They can’t even kiss their son without fear of accidentally giving him a virus. While Lincoln is doing well so far, he has a long road ahead of him. So far he has had to be subjected to two brain scans, multiple treatments to close his heart PDA, a blood transfusion (and another one later), a PICC line, multiple medications and injections, and preliminary physical therapy to straighten out his left leg and hip. He is on a steady incline and a positive health trajectory, but every day presents new challenges in trying to grow a baby out of the womb, so far removed from being fully developed at term.
Thomas and Brittani are now being hit with the unexpected financial responsibility of having their newborn as an in-patient in a million dollar NICU for three months, not to mention the extra costs of therapies he will need for at least the first year after he is released. In addition, Brittani had to unexpectedly be admitted into the hospital for a week, under high intensive care, which is another large unexpected expense. While they are fortunate to have health insurance, we, the friends of Cummings family, are asking for your help to ease their unexpected financial burden for this long of a hospital stay. Our desire is for them to be able to focus on each other, their growing son, their wonderful daughter, and the focus and mental clarity to go to the hospital to provide cares and crucial skin-to-skin time to Lincoln. We also want to give you a way to help this wonderful family, as many people have already asked what they can do.
Above all, the family asks for continued prayers for healing, restoration, and strength for Lincoln. And that Lincoln would be able to come home strong and healthy so that he can be the “Linc” that completes this beautiful family, once broken, but now restored. They fully believe and trust that Jesus is holding Little Lincoln in the palm of His mighty hand. Please help with finances as you are able and willing, but above all pray with us for Lincoln, mom, dad, and daughter as they navigate this difficult time. Thank you very much and may God richly bless you in your generosity.
#littlelincolnjudahlion
After both of them spent years of healing from their own heartaches, losses, and divorces, Brittani and Thomas found each other on a faith-based dating app. Their romance thrived and after two and a half years they were married. Thomas, and his then 5 year-old daughter Kennedy, welcomed Brittani into their lives and home with love and joy. God was clearly working in their lives and making all things new. Brittani became an instant mom and the uneasy task of trying to healthily blend a family together began. But Thomas and Brittani still felt that there was one piece to the puzzle that was missing ... having a child of their own, and giving their daughter a sibling. They felt that this would be the final “Linc” in completing their little family.
All was going well with Brittani’s pregnancy. The baby was growing and getting great reports at each prenatal appointment. Then around the 24 week mark in the pregnancy, Brittani began to feel sick and started experiencing what she thought were normal Braxton-Hicks pains. However, these “Braxton-Hicks” pains didn’t feel normal, at least for how they were described medically. So on the Thursday of her 24th week she went in to her OB for a proactive check-up. The results of the check-up came back normal. Baby was still doing well and Brittani had no signs of labor or infection, with the exception of a high white blood cell count. Brittani went home to enjoy the weekend, even though the pains continued. Then came Sunday, which was the start of her 25th week, and that night, after a long day in pain on the couch, Brittani was awoken by even worse pains. This was when she realized that these pains were actual contractions - at 25 weeks. She began to time them and they were 3-4 minutes apart in an hours time. At 2:30am that Monday morning she woke up Thomas and they quickly went to the emergency room, along with a very sleepy daughter.
After being admitted into the labor and delivery ward at Mission Hospital, the doctors confirmed after many tests that Brittani was in fact, in pre-term labor. The task now was to do everything possible to keep the baby in. They tried different medicines to slow down the contractions, which didn’t work, until ultimately putting Brittani on consistent magnesium that began to slow them down. In the meantime, they gave Brittani two steroid shots within a 48 hour period to assist with the baby’s lung growth in case he needed to come out early. Brittani was able to stay on the magnesium from Monday morning all the way until Wednesday afternoon. If you don’t know the horrible effects of being on magnesium, imagine the worst flu you’ve ever had, plus losing your eye-sight and ability to move. For Thomas, this presented a very scary dilemma - watch his wife suffer miserably from the magnesium treatment while they try to keep the baby in the womb - OR - stop his wife’s pain and suffering but in turn risk having their baby be born way too early in his development. Clearly if Brittani was able to stand the magnesium treatment, keeping the baby in the womb was the best option. But it was far from an easy decision. Then Wednesday came. Thomas could barely continue seeing his wife suffer like this anymore, but yielded to medical advice. But ultimately, Brittani’s water broke and the doctors found that she was 3 centimeters dilated. On top of that Brittani was in so much pain in her abdomen and back that doctors feared that there was an infection, which could potentially hurt the baby. The decision was quickly made to perform an emergency C-section. Within the hour, their son Lincoln Judah was born on Wednesday, August 21st, 2019, at 25 weeks and 4 days, and he came out roaring cries like a little lion. It was the most amazing and comforting sound that they could hear in this moment, after days of fear and uncertainty.
Little Lincoln is now in a NICU III unit at CHOC hospital, one of the best in the country. He will be in the NICU for over 3 months until his original due date of December 1st. Not being able to bring Lincoln home right away is one of the worst feelings for mom and dad and their daughter. They can’t even kiss their son without fear of accidentally giving him a virus. While Lincoln is doing well so far, he has a long road ahead of him. So far he has had to be subjected to two brain scans, multiple treatments to close his heart PDA, a blood transfusion (and another one later), a PICC line, multiple medications and injections, and preliminary physical therapy to straighten out his left leg and hip. He is on a steady incline and a positive health trajectory, but every day presents new challenges in trying to grow a baby out of the womb, so far removed from being fully developed at term.
Thomas and Brittani are now being hit with the unexpected financial responsibility of having their newborn as an in-patient in a million dollar NICU for three months, not to mention the extra costs of therapies he will need for at least the first year after he is released. In addition, Brittani had to unexpectedly be admitted into the hospital for a week, under high intensive care, which is another large unexpected expense. While they are fortunate to have health insurance, we, the friends of Cummings family, are asking for your help to ease their unexpected financial burden for this long of a hospital stay. Our desire is for them to be able to focus on each other, their growing son, their wonderful daughter, and the focus and mental clarity to go to the hospital to provide cares and crucial skin-to-skin time to Lincoln. We also want to give you a way to help this wonderful family, as many people have already asked what they can do.
Above all, the family asks for continued prayers for healing, restoration, and strength for Lincoln. And that Lincoln would be able to come home strong and healthy so that he can be the “Linc” that completes this beautiful family, once broken, but now restored. They fully believe and trust that Jesus is holding Little Lincoln in the palm of His mighty hand. Please help with finances as you are able and willing, but above all pray with us for Lincoln, mom, dad, and daughter as they navigate this difficult time. Thank you very much and may God richly bless you in your generosity.
#littlelincolnjudahlion
Organizer and beneficiary
Pam Freienmuth-Langsam
Organizer
Laguna Beach, CA
Thomas Cummings
Beneficiary