I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for taking a moment to visit my fundraising page.

During my 20-week scan, we discovered that the baby would have a few major heart defects. After several appointments with specialists and multiple scans, we found that my baby had a narrowing of his aortic valve, a few large ASDs, and a bicuspid valve. Knowing this, we prepared the best we could by choosing a birth plan that would best suit him. Tatum was delivered via C-section on August 18th, 2023, and was immediately taken to the PICU in preparation for surgery in the upcoming days. He was placed on medication that kept his PDA open so that they had time to get him ready for surgery. However, during his pre-surgical echo, we found that the medication was not on a high enough dose, causing his PDA to close. Fortunately, his heart was functioning well enough on its own to be able to go home. We watched him closely with weekly blood pressure checks and echos when needed. Right before he turned three months, we noticed some signs pointing to the narrowing worsening. After a follow-up scan, we saw that it was time to make the repair. We were scheduled for surgery a month later at the University of Michigan. Surgical plans were altered a few different times due to new findings, and ultimately, a frontal approach was taken. Tatum was placed on the bypass machine, and the surgery was completed without any major complications. Recovery was hard and long. We faced pain management issues, chest tube removal complications, feeding issues, and just a terrified and tired little boy. I was thankfully able to be by Tatum's side 24/7. After a week and a half, we were discharged with an NG tube (feeding tube) and multiple different medications. After three months, we were able to remove the NG tube and all medications. Now, he is an energetic 8-month-old, with such a sweet personality. You would never know how rough of a start this little man had.

I love you, my little heart warrior!

Once again, thank you for your generosity, and for standing beside me in this mission. Your support means the world to me.