THE LONG STORY SHORTThis page exists to help Lee and Bliss Halvorson from Columbus, GA meet the needs of their family during a time when they are exhausting themselves to care for their twin girls. Madison and Callie were born more than 2 months early and have faced a host of life threatening health issues. After almost 6 months, Madison is home, but Callie remains at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Because of the time involved, this has taken a financial toll on Lee and Bliss, including the loss of Bliss' income until she can return to her classroom. (The school will hold her job, but she is out of vacation & sick days so she has had to take leave without pay.) No one likes to ask for help, but we, their family, are asking you to join us in providing assistance until they get past these tough days. Thank you for any support you can give and please remember Lee, Bliss, Madison and Callie in your prayers.THE FULL STORY This page is to help a special family with their twin girls. Bliss Lucas was first diagnosed with cancer when she was 3 years old. Three years later she relapsed and the surgery necessary to save her life left her wondering if she would ever have children. In 2013, Bliss (a public school teacher) married Lee Halvorson (a salesman and volleyball coach for a Christian school) in Columbus, GA. When they decided to start a family, doctors believed invitro fertilization would be their best hope. After countless medical tests and procedures, Bliss found out implantation had been unsuccessful in August 2014. In November, after a second egg was implanted, Bliss and Lee were pregnant. Since they only implanted ONE embryo, they were shocked to learn they were having identical twins! Bliss said, " On April 22, I took the morning off of school to go to my 1st high risk doctor appointment, never thinking I wouldn't return! They sent me straight to the Medical Center for hospital bed rest until delivery. I had high BP which indicated preeclampsia, a shortened cervix which would eventually cause premature labor, and the ultrasound showed signs of intermittent reverse doppler flow through the umbilical cord. They immediately started a round of steroids for lung development and magnesium for brain development. I had ultrasounds every morning. And on May 12, both girls became growth restricted because of complete reverse doppler flow and the c section was scheduled for the next day." On May 13, Bliss and Lee were blessed with Madison Leigh (2 lbs 2 oz, 13.6" long) and Callie Grace (2 lbs, 13.3" long). MadisonCallieBecause they were more than 2 months early, there were a lot of concerns. In their first week of life, both girls became seriously ill with infections. Madison had staph, which thankfully cleared up with 7 days of antibiotics. Callie got pseudomonas and became septic. She went into septic shock on May 21 and was placed on a high powered ventilator called an oscillator. She turned a corner on May 24 after wonderful medical care and much prayer from friends and family. Callie got a 2nd pseudomonas infection on June 5, and a 3rd pseudomonas infection on June 22. They started a 6 week course of antibiotics and ran tests to see if they could find where the bacteria had localized. As a last resort, an external drain tube was placed on the right side of Callie's brain to test the cerebrospinal fluid for infection. All tests came back negative. After weeks of recovery, Callie was finally extubated. Unfortunately, doctors found that her palate in the roof of her mouth had eroded from the breathing tube. She now had a cleft palate which has resulted in an inability to suck a bottle at all. Our 1st Family PhotoTo the glory of God on July 22, Madison was able to go home with her mom and dad after 70 days in NICU in Columbus. She weighed 5 lbs 10 oz. Everyone hoped that Callie would follow her soon. Unfortunately, that would not be the case. By August 10, Callie's condition had deteriorated, and she was transported to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Egleston). She had a coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta and a PDA that needed to be closed (a duct that did not close after birth). After countless health scares, including several times that she was in critical condition, she had heart surgery on August 13. After the surgery, her recovery was incredible. On October 2, after 140 days in intensive care in Columbus and Atlanta, Callie was finally released from the hospital. She weighed 6 lbs 8 oz. When Bliss left her classroom on April 22, she never dreamed it would be months before she went back to work. She used all her vacation time (accrued and donated) and reached a point where she was about to have time off without pay. Thankfully, she and Lee had weathered the storm and finally had both girls home. On Monday, October 19, Bliss was finally able to go back to school. Madison was in daycare, and Callie was home with a fulltime nurse to meet her needs. Even though she was home, she required a lot of medical care. At the end of Bliss' second day back at school, she came home to find Callie's condition deteriorating. When they got to the doctor, they were instructed to return to Children's Healthcare in Atlanta. By the time they got to Atlanta on October 21, Callie was having severe drops in her heart rate and oxygen levels. It seemed that those life threatening issues were being caused by reflux from her feeding tube and sleep apnea. She was admitted to the hospital, but her condition worsened so quickly that she was soon moved to the pediatric ICU. The spells became significantly worse over night, and Callie was put back on a ventilator. She had an MRI and EEG (to check brain function), echo and EKG (to check her heart function), lab work, cultures drawn (blood, urine, and ETT tube), and a spinal tap done. Everything has come back negative. She was started on antibiotics and antiviral meds as a precaution. As of now, she is stable, but she remains in the hospital in Atlanta. Her mom is with her while her dad is in Columbus working all day and taking care of Madison at night. As of now, Lee and Bliss are exhausting themselves to meet the needs of their family, both physically and financially, as they care for their children. No one likes to ask for help, but we, their family, are asking you to join us in providing assistance until they get past these tough days. Anything you can give would be greatly appreciated. There is always a chance that any of us could find ourselves in unexpected circumstances. We all hope that people will surround us the way people like you are surrounding and lifting up the Halvorson family. Thank you for any support you can give and please remember Lee, Bliss, Madison and Callie in your prayers.
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