Support for Sweet Baby Sloane and Erin Simpson

Erin, Drew, and Andi (big sis-very soon to be 2 years old) were anticipating sweet little sister Sloane to make her grand debut in May, but after an ultrasound visit in March, Erin was monitored and rushed in for an emergency C-section at 32 weeks in Savannah, GA. Baby Sloane entered the world and was immediately placed on a ventilator and sent to the NICU with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia causing oxygenation issues.

Sloane has faced and fought many obstacles in her first few months. Her first surgery at 1 week old, the need for an oscillator vent, severe edema, on and off paralytics, and a risky transfer to MCG in Augusta in May (this truly skims the surface of the daily battles she has fought). This has been an incredible burden for both Erin and Drew that they are bearing with unbelievable strength and grace. During these uncertain and unpredictable weeks and months, the Simpson family has been in limbo while desperately trying to find the answers they need to help Sloane and care for their first baby Andi.

The team of doctors in Augusta have diagnosed Sloane with a condition called chylothorax (chyle- a fatty lipid filled fluid is accumulating in the lining surrounding the lungs), which causes her lymphatic system to be unable to break down specific types of proteins that are in breast milk. During the current stay at MCG, Baby Sloane has had several chest tubes inserted to drain the chyle leak; however, it has continued even with the max dosage of octreotide.

Sloane will now be heading to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for surgery to repair the lymphatic duct leak now that her case has been accepted. She will be transferred by CHOP’s private plane (hopefully accepted/covered by insurance) within the next few weeks.

We have set up this GoFundMe to help lift the burden for Sloane’s ever growing medical expenses and provide income support to Erin whose maternity leave has ended. Our plan is to keep this page updated with the latest Baby Sloane news as it is received. We ask that you send up prayers for this sweet resilient fighter and her astonishingly strong family.

-Kathryn Sublett & Tiffany Sellers