Her Fight is our Fight-Baylee Rose Vaughn

As many already know, Haley went for her anatomy scan and learned that Baby Baylee has a condition called CDH(Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.) Like most people, we had never even heard of this. It is a rare condition that occurs in 1 in 2500 births. Baby girl has a hole in her diaphragm that has caused the contents of her abdomen to migrate upward. The most serious complication associated with this is the lungs being smaller and not fully developed when Baylee is born. Since the condition is so rare, there are limited hospitals in the country able to treat it. After much research, we fortunately came across one of the leading experts in CDH treatment…Dr. David Kays at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

 This week, we traveled down for her initial appointment, lots more testing and to meet the team. The CDH is more significant than we originally thought and Baby Baylee is a tiny girl which makes her fight even harder. Dr. Kay’s advised Haley to relocate to St Pete at 34 weeks to ensure Baylee is delivered and immediately under their care. Baby girl will need surgery to repair the hernia as soon after birth as she is stable and strong enough, followed by an undetermined number of weeks in the NICU to make sure her little lungs are strong enough to go home. We initially hoped this would only be 4-6 weeks but Dr. Kays advised us to be prepared for her stay to be significantly longer. Our girl is strong and gonna be a little fighter, we are praying for her to keep growing stronger and healthier and have the briefest stay possible.

 This is a very stressful time for Haley and Jordan, but they make an awesome team. Jordan and I were both in awe of the strength Haley has shown over the last few very long and tiresome days of appointments and tests. The astronomical costs associated with traveling to appointments, medical care, time off work and relocating for several months is overwhelming to say the least. My hope is that the funds raised will alleviate some of their financial worries and allow them to focus solely on fighting for baby girl. They are forever grateful for the love, support and most importantly prayers as they bravely navigate through this tempestuous journey.