Arabelle Ember Thomas was born on January 27th, 2024 at 7:08pm weighing 5lbs 11oz and 18 inches long with a very rare Congenital Heart Disease. Arabelle has two loving parents, Shiloh and Lee Thomas, who have prayed over her fervently since their 4th ultrasound when they were told their little girl only had a 10% chance of being born healthy. From pregnancy until even now the Thomas family has accrued substantial medical bills to support Arabelle's life. The bills continue to rack up as Arabelle's first heart surgery quickly approaches in November 2024. We are asking for your donations to help support Shiloh, a healthcare worker, and her husband Lee, a firefighter, to continue to pay these bills for their daughter. If you don't have the ability to donate, sharing this LFEBridge and praying over the Thomas family are free ways that you can support Arabelle. Want to learn more about Arabelle's journey, from conception until now? Read below for the full story: Arabelle's Story On Friday August 6th Shiloh and her husband Lee were waiting for the doctor to come into the exam room for her 4th ultrasound. They had seen Arabelle’s arms and legs moving and heard a strong heartbeat. As they waited, they were talking about whose nose their little girl would have. “I have some bad news.” The gut-wrenching, heart-stopping words that no parent or patient ever wants to hear. Everything Lee and Shiloh had imagined: holding Arabelle for the first time, bringing her home, was snatched away, but only for a few minutes. Lee and Shiloh learned that Arabelle had what’s called a Cystic Hygroma. A cyst located at the base of her skull where it connects to the spinal cord. They are very rare, affecting only 1 in 6,000 births and generally considered "incompatible with life”. At this point, Shiloh and Lee found out that there was only a 10% chance their baby would be born healthy, and there is a high risk she will have abnormalities if she is born and an even higher risk that her heart will stop before they got to the 20-week point of pregnancy. The next steps were to see a specialist to investigate further and figure out the size and exact location of the Cystic Hygroma, and also determine what chromosomal abnormalities (that usually accompany this type of cyst) Arabelle may have. The other option, ending an innocent life, was never an option for Shiloh and Lee. Everyone deserves a chance. Arabelle fought hard and after many doctor's visits and a couple months went by Shiloh and Lee's prayers were answered. THE CYSTIC HYGROMA WAS GONE! If you don’t believe in the power of prayer, I hope this will be motivation for you to consider trying because This. Just. Doesn’t. Happen. Arabelle was, however, diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease which, in her case, includes the following defects: Transposition of the Greater Arteries (TGA) Pulmonary Stenosis 2 large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Mildly small right ventricle (Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome-HRHS) Arabelle’s TGA is THE MOST COMMONLY MISSED HEART DEFECT on ultrasounds. It just so happens that the Cystic Hygroma that was found on the back of her neck in August led the doctor's to find her heart defect. Another AMAZING fact is that 2 of her defects (her VSDs and her pulmonary stenosis) are supporting good blood flow and oxygenation throughout her body so that she can wait a couple of months before her first surgery. In other words, the two defects that have the potential to be deadly are temporarily “fixed” by her other 2 defects. Imagine that!! Arabelle was finally born on January 27th, 2024 and despite the initial thoughts that her first open heart surgery would need to occur within a few months after she was born, Arabelle showed everyone that she is strong and able to live in this world without much help. Her doctors have met several times and all agreed that has been strong enough to be home with her mom and dad until her now planned surgery in November 2024, making Arabelle over 9 months old when she will have her first surgery! Arabelle has defied all odds, been gaining as much weight as she can, and is now 12lbs! Her surgery is coming soon and bills continue to compile, so if you have anything extra to give please consider donating to help cover Arabelle's Hospital Bills so she can continue defying the odds and showing the world the power of prayer and the power of God!
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