The Driscoll Family

Scroll down to see updates as the Driscoll family progresses in their CDH Journey! (All updates are written and given by parents with consent)

Update 6/22

Thank you so much for accepting us for your grants. You have no idea how much this helps our family during this big change in our life!

My husband and I met 7 years ago. We had our first daughter Everly in August of 2021 and fell pregnant again in November of 2022. At my 18-week anatomy scan for our second daughter, I was told news no mom wants to hear, "We found some things on your scan that are very concerning..." The doctor came in and gave me the diagnosis of CDH. As for my daughter's diagnosis, she is left-sided with stomach, spleen, with small and large bowels in her chest cavity. I was in complete shock and felt completely crushed. My husband was attending basic training at the time, so I had no contact with him. At that moment I just felt completely hopeless. I finally was able to reach out to him a few days later via Redcross and let him know what was going on back home. When my husband got back from basic, we started researching CDH and what we can do in order to give our daughter the best chance of life. We were originally sent to UAB in Birmingham, Alabama, but decided a few weeks later to reach out to John Hopkins All Children in St. Petersburg, FL. After speaking with Dr.Kays and his team, we knew we made the right decision regarding our daughter's care. My care team in Florida recommended relocation at 34 weeks, but unfortunately, June 15th I was admitted in our hometown for preterm labor contractions. That weekend I made the decision to pack my life in one suitcase and head to Florida. As for me and my pregnancy, everything is going well, and she is growing as she should minus her CDH. We cannot wait to meet our strong little girl in the next 3 weeks. I want to thank The Eden Calhoun Charitable Fund for providing our family with a monthly grant. With this grant, we will be able to minimize our stress by having assistance with travel, lodging, food, and any medical expenses we may have. THANK YOU!

Update 7/30

Little miss Lydia had her repair surgery on the 17th of July. She had a laparoscopic procedure which left her with 4 small little incisions, which was awesome news! We started weaning the 19th and so far she has been killing it ! She also loves to breath over her vent and wants to prove to the doctors that she doesn’t need her tube. July 19th she was on a vent setting of 60 and today July 20th, she is at a rate of 36! We are hoping she keeps up the good work and continue to move forward. Of course we will move at her pace, but her doctor believes it could be about 3-4 more days then we could possibly extubate. We can’t wait to hold our sweet girl soon. Thank you to everyone that continues to follow our story, there will be more updates to come! 

Update 8/27

As of august 8th Lydia was discharged from John Hopkins All Children’s. She was in the CDH ICU for a total of 30 days. She showed how strong she was, each and every day! We did come home with oxygen and a few medications, but all is going well! It’s been a bit crazy with a toddler and dealing with insurance problems but I’m beyond blessed to be able to be home ! I’m so thankful for all the prayers and help from everyone, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!