Team Chloe

Dear Facebook Community…. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller Hello, my name is Karen Schroeder. I am the advocate for my seven month old granddaughter Chloe who needs your help! Reaching out to ask for monetary help is uncomfortable for me, let alone to people I don’t even know, but our situation is very critical. My daughter, Whitney, was not able to conceive a child normally. We began running tests and found out Whitney has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. This condition makes it very difficult to conceive. We consulted an infertility specialist who for two years with drugs and surgery tried to get Whitney’s body to a point where she could get pregnant on her own. In Whitney’s adolescent years she never had a regular period. This is a BIG SIGN of this condition which was never taken seriously by her gynecologist. If you feel your daughter is having the same symptoms, a simple blood test can detect this. Getting this diagnosis early can help determine the levels of her egg production. Unfortunately for Whitney at age 26, her counts were very low. If you can catch this early enough, freezing the eggs in an option which can be used later when your daughter is ready to have children. Even knowing the odds were against her, I decided to sponsor her attempt at In Vetro Fertilization. As long as I can remember, Whitney has always wanted children, it broke my heart to think she may never get to experience this. As you know, this is a VERY GRUELING process. PLEASE BE AWARE that In Vetro Fertilization comes with risks! Fast forward, Whitney was told she had two viable eggs which we paid additional for the genetic testing. I was there for the implantation process, wow…..that was cool! Whitney became pregnant with twins, both eggs took, we were all overjoyed!!! UNTIL, in her second trimester when “Baby B” (Chloe) was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a life threatening condition which could have also been life threatening to “Baby A” (Parker). We were devastated and scared. After ALL our families had been through for a grueling two years, both were in danger. Her care quickly moved to Loma Linda University. Whitney was very closely monitored for the rest of her pregnancy, as Chloe was not developing as she should. Chloe and Parker were born in February. I am thrilled to report Parker is a completely normal boy. Chloe spent the first two months in the NICU. There is no way to possibly relate to you the day in day out of her care and the overwhelming emotional strain this took on everyone involved! Shortly after she was born a blood test was done to try and determine why she was so small. Then another DEVESTATING blow, she was diagnosed having Trisomy 18, a chromosomal defect which causes and is not limited to heart defects, intellectual and developmental delays, growth deficiency, feeding difficulties and too many more to list. About a month after she was born another defect was found, Choanal Atresia, a defect where the back of the nasal passages are blocked. To date, she has had four surgeries to correct this condition. Chloe was also born with PDA, VSD, ASD to her heart. These are holes in different places in her heart which have been 90% repaired with surgery. Chloe’s life will be spent going to doctor’s appointments (Cardiologist, Ear, Nose and Throat, Pediatric Surgeon, Neurologist, GI, Pulmonologist, Occupational and Physical Therapy). We do not know what the future holds for her. I believe something went wrong during the genetic testing of the embryos. There is NO ONE who could care for all of my granddaughter’s fragile health conditions like my daughter Whitney, and her husband. Whitney is a nurse, her husband is an EMT. Whitney recently lost her position, as she has had to take so much time off of work to care for Chloe and Parker. Chloe has a LONG way to go, this post is asking for your support to keep Whitney, Chloe and Parker together 24/7 until Chloe is strong enough for Whitney to go back to work. They have exhausted their savings and family members have been helping out when they can. Any contribution you can give us would be greatly appreciated! Please also share this post with your friends and ask them to do the same. Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” We all have faith in Chloe’s future. We join you to follow her journey. Chloe has done her part, we hope you will join “Team Chloe.” We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I hope her story can help someone else. Namaste…..Karen