Heart Surgery for Taz and Brandon's baby ❤️
As soon as it is born, their baby needs life-saving surgery for a congenital heart defect.
Southland
In May this year my beautiful sister Tasmin and her partner Brandon got the news that they are expecting their first child - the first grandchild for mum and dad! They are beyond excited to become parents (in addition to their two dog-babies). They have decided not to find out the gender, saving it as a surprise for the birth.
Unfortunately, at their 20 week scan Taz and Brandon received the devastating news that their baby has a congenital heart defect known as Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). In TGA, the two main arteries leaving the heart are "switched" and already oxygenated blood flows to the lungs, while the body is supplied with oxygen poor blood. The baby can continue to grow but once it is born it's body won't be receiving enough oxygen.
Luckily, there is a surgical correction that can realign the correct arteries in the correct place which has a relatively high success rate. It is a specialist procedure not available in the South Island so Taz and Brandon will be travelling to Auckland at 37 weeks. The baby will go in for open heart surgery immediately after it is born to repair the defect. Following this they will have an extended stay in NICU while the baby recovers and is monitored.
Throughout this there will be ongoing costs - medical appointments, flights and accomodation to visit the fetal medicine team in Christchurch between now and November, and flights to Auckland when baby is due. Taz and Brandon will both need to take time off work so any financial support we can give will help to ease the burden.
No first time parents should have to go through such a stressful and upsetting time and these guys need all the love and support we can give them over the coming months. Please donate and share - spread the word so together we can help to make things a little bit easier for Taz and Brandon.
This website has a great description of TGA in more detail:
Ireland Jacobs' involvement (page creator)
My sister Taz and her partner Brandon deserve all the love and support we can afford to give.
Use of funds
The money will go toward flights, medical bills, accomodation, baby equipment and general living as Brandon and Taz take time off work for their extended hospital stay.
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