Joshua's Leukemia Journey
Donation protected
Hi, I’m Mariam Townsend, my husband Jason, and I was delighted when we found out we were expecting our first child. We'd been married for 2 years. Baby Joshua was born on February 19, 2020, at 1:44 am by emergency C-section, with a low birth weight of 2 lbs., 15.5 oz, and measured 14.4 in., long at 31 weeks’ gestation.
Our ordeal began on February 17th, two days before I gave birth. My regular antenatal visit with the OBGYN didn’t go as smoothly as expected, she noticed that I had a very low fundal height and wasn’t gaining weight.
The following morning, February 18th, an ultrasound/growth scan was done which showed that my amniotic fluid was extremely low so there wasn't much fluid around the baby and he had only gained 3 oz in 5 weeks, which meant he was smaller than expected, to make matters worse the blood flow going to him wasn't sufficient. My feet were also extremely swollen. This wasn't good news. The baby wasn't growing at the expected rate, and we were told this may be due to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Immediately I was admitted to L&D for observation as I was now considered a high-risk pregnancy. I was administered IV fluids including magnesium sulfate, along with a rescue dose of steroids, as I had two doses 3-4 weeks prior due to preterm labor.
On the said night of the 18th, two additional ultrasounds were done for a decision to be made. After some time, consulting among themselves the team decided that the baby would need to be taken by emergency C-section. My situation was worse than they had initially thought and by midnight I was rushed to the surgical theatre.
It was terrifying not knowing what was going to happen or what the outcome was going to be, so many things were going through my mind, but at that very moment, I just wanted Joshua to be alright. I had faith and trusted in the capabilities of my doctors, nurses, and the NICU team.
Our little guy has had a few obstacles, but he is starting to show headway. He was on c-pap initially but was switched to Sipap due to recurrent seizures. He had severe jaundice and was on triple phototherapy. What's more is that he was bringing up everything after feeding, so the doctors ordered “NPO,” which is nothing by mouth. He was then given the nasogastric tube “NG tube”.
Joshua is now progressing. He is making us very proud! We know that it is going to be a hard and long journey for our little guy, but we know he is in the best care he can be right now! His medical expenses have taken a toll on us, especially with all that has been happening. We are asking for whatever donations possible to offset the cost of our bundle of joy expenses and to help us give him the best care possible.
Ramone has been kind enough to facilitate us in organizing this fundraiser as we had some issues creating it, however, all donations will go straight to us, and myself or Jason will try to provide timely updates though it might not always be possible.
Anyone wishing to make contributions in the form of baby clothing, diapers, etc., or wish to contact us may do so via the amazon baby registry or contact us through the GoFundMe. https://www.amazon.com/baby-reg/mariam-townsend-february-2020-fortlauderdale/1MVKHB34DOE2?ref=cm_sw_wa_r_px_DESKTOP_gtxiaNHPLXORn
Our ordeal began on February 17th, two days before I gave birth. My regular antenatal visit with the OBGYN didn’t go as smoothly as expected, she noticed that I had a very low fundal height and wasn’t gaining weight.
The following morning, February 18th, an ultrasound/growth scan was done which showed that my amniotic fluid was extremely low so there wasn't much fluid around the baby and he had only gained 3 oz in 5 weeks, which meant he was smaller than expected, to make matters worse the blood flow going to him wasn't sufficient. My feet were also extremely swollen. This wasn't good news. The baby wasn't growing at the expected rate, and we were told this may be due to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Immediately I was admitted to L&D for observation as I was now considered a high-risk pregnancy. I was administered IV fluids including magnesium sulfate, along with a rescue dose of steroids, as I had two doses 3-4 weeks prior due to preterm labor.
On the said night of the 18th, two additional ultrasounds were done for a decision to be made. After some time, consulting among themselves the team decided that the baby would need to be taken by emergency C-section. My situation was worse than they had initially thought and by midnight I was rushed to the surgical theatre.
It was terrifying not knowing what was going to happen or what the outcome was going to be, so many things were going through my mind, but at that very moment, I just wanted Joshua to be alright. I had faith and trusted in the capabilities of my doctors, nurses, and the NICU team.
Our little guy has had a few obstacles, but he is starting to show headway. He was on c-pap initially but was switched to Sipap due to recurrent seizures. He had severe jaundice and was on triple phototherapy. What's more is that he was bringing up everything after feeding, so the doctors ordered “NPO,” which is nothing by mouth. He was then given the nasogastric tube “NG tube”.
Joshua is now progressing. He is making us very proud! We know that it is going to be a hard and long journey for our little guy, but we know he is in the best care he can be right now! His medical expenses have taken a toll on us, especially with all that has been happening. We are asking for whatever donations possible to offset the cost of our bundle of joy expenses and to help us give him the best care possible.
Ramone has been kind enough to facilitate us in organizing this fundraiser as we had some issues creating it, however, all donations will go straight to us, and myself or Jason will try to provide timely updates though it might not always be possible.
Anyone wishing to make contributions in the form of baby clothing, diapers, etc., or wish to contact us may do so via the amazon baby registry or contact us through the GoFundMe. https://www.amazon.com/baby-reg/mariam-townsend-february-2020-fortlauderdale/1MVKHB34DOE2?ref=cm_sw_wa_r_px_DESKTOP_gtxiaNHPLXORn
Fundraising team: Baby Joshua's Fundraising Team (3)
Ramone Williamson
Organizer
Clarksville, TN
Mariam Townsend
Team member
Jason Townsend
Team member
