Odysseus was born in March of 2026 at just 28 weeks and 2 days, weighing 2 pounds 12 ounces, after my water broke at 20 weeks and I spent weeks in the hospital trying to keep him safe. After birth, Ody developed severe NEC, resulting in bowel perforation, sepsis, brain bleeds, and emergency surgery that removed a significant portion of his intestine. Since then, he has faced chronic lung disease, infections, multiple surgeries, prolonged respiratory support, and ongoing feeding complications.

Now six months old and around 17 pounds, Ody is still in the hospital working toward coming home. He continues to need respiratory support and carefully managed feeds, and his doctors are also investigating new eye movements for possible autoimmune disorders where his nervous system is being attacked. Despite everything he has been through, Ody continues to grow, smile, interact with us, and fight every day. His journey has been incredibly difficult, but he has never stopped fighting—and neither will we.

This journey has made a substantial financial impact on our family due to loss of income to be at Ody’s bedside, and costs associated with living away from home and driving back and forth to Minneapolis where he is hospitalized. We are behind on many bills and just trying to keep our heads afloat so once he does come home, he can come back to the life we had prepared for him.