Help for the Howarths

Hello everyone. If you know the May Family, you probably know me as the big loud Philadelphia cousin, Danielle. I am writing this today because the May/Howarth family needs our help (whether they like it or not) and we know that this community steps up when one of your own needs it.

 

As many of you remember, the May’s matriarch Maria had a brain tumor just last year. She kicked its butt and lived to tell the tale, but this strong family has been through sickness, death, life, and birth and more than any family should have to go through in just the last two years, all of this during a pandemic! The strength and support from their friends and community got them through it, and they need us now more than ever.

 

Last week, Meredith (Maria’s daughter) and her husband Evan were pregnant with their second son, Bennett, aka “Ethan’s little brother.” Bennett is their rainbow baby. After so much loss in these past few years, Bennet was a beacon of hope for the May/Howarths. Unfortunately, Meredith developed severe preeclampsia. On April 9th, her blood pressure skyrocketed to lethal levels. She was rushed to the Emergency Room, where her blood pressure would still not regulate many hours later after multiple tactics. For the safety of Meredith and Bennett, doctors decided that labor needed to be induced.

 

Bennett was supposed to be born on May 29th, but the universe had other plans. After almost 60 hours of extremely difficult “touch and go” labor, Bennet Rhett Howarth came into the world on April 13th at 11:17 pm. Just shy of 7 weeks early, Bennett was whisked off by the nurses to the NICU. Meredith was not even able to see him before they took him away. Many hours later, Meredith’s blood pressure was still not regulated; she had a cerebral spinal fluid leak from 2 failed epidurals (that’s right - our Warrior birthed this baby for 60 hours with NO EPIDURAL). While Mer worked on her recovery (she has a long road ahead while her heart and body heal from the damage of this labor), Bennett fought his own battle, relying on oxygen to breathe and being fed via a feeding tube. Still, he is alive and with a little more time to grow, he will be ok. A week after she went into the hospital Mer has been able to come home, but without baby Bennett. Bennett will need to be in the hospital for several weeks while he develops the last strength he needs to live on the outside.

 

So – why are we telling you all of this? Simply put, the Howarth family needs our help. The financial strain of this situation is compounding the stress of what has already been a terrible ordeal. Meredith and Evan work hard, they both have health insurance, and they are still paying medical bills from when their first son Ethan was born, as well as from the miscarriage they suffered last year. Meredith has had to take off of work to go to many appointments and the hospital stay for Meredith alone is going to cost a significant amount. The stay and care costs for Bennett are going to be astronomical. Everyone has their crosses to bear, but the weight of this is too much for them to bear alone. The May/Howarth family does so much for their community, their friends and their church we knew this would be the right place to come and ask for help. The May/Howarths are proud people, and would probably not approve of me putting all of their business out there, but frankly, they don’t have a choice. We love them and just want them to be ok.

 

If you can donate, any amount, please do. If you cannot, we appreciate any thoughts and prayers you can provide. If you can share, we would appreciate that too.

If you’d like to send a gift card for meals, you can use this link: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/903505

 

100% of the funds raised go directly to the Howarth Family for their medical bills and any special needs that Baby Bennett will need to come home.

 

Thank you in advance for your love of our family, your generosity, and your thoughts and prayers.