{"id":295391,"date":"2023-07-27T08:49:43","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T13:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=295391"},"modified":"2023-07-26T10:50:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T15:50:23","slug":"family-daughter-diagnosis-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/family-daughter-diagnosis-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Young family faces daughter’s diagnosis with faith: ‘In God, there’s hope’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Kali Jackson always knew she\u2019d attend college. Her goal was to study nursing and eventually embark on a career as a pediatrician. Since the sixth grade, Jackson had been enrolled in The Young Scholars Program with the promise of a full scholarship to Ohio State University. She never saw herself in the role of a mother, but at the age of 16, Jackson became pregnant.<\/p>\n

Jackson told Live Action News, \u201cAt first, I didn\u2019t think much would change because of my pregnancy. I could enroll in Kent State University and be closer to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a pro-life Christian, Jackson never considered abortion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made the choice to have unprotected relations with my boyfriend, Caleb, so I needed to take responsibility for the consequences,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cFortunately, both sets of parents were supportive as was Caleb during this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first seven months, the pregnancy progressed normally, but then an ultrasound showed the baby was abnormally small. Doctors told Jackson the umbilical cord was not providing adequate blood flow to the baby.<\/p>\n

Jackson said, \u201cI was advised to have an amniocentesis so doctors could gather more information, but I declined. I didn\u2019t want to do anything that might harm the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, Jackson was admitted to the hospital suffering from pre-eclampsia. She was given injections to help mature the baby\u2019s lungs and was told she\u2019d most likely have to undergo a cesarian section. A fetal heart ultrasound revealed a tiny hole in the baby\u2019s heart that doctors told Jackson would close once her daughter was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so confused,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cHow could this happen so suddenly? I was very scared and feeling overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her surgery date was scheduled for December 9, but in late November, while still in the hospital, the baby\u2019s heart rate started to dip. Jackson was told she\u2019d have the surgery in 30 minutes to save her baby\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Jackson said, \u201cThe epidural didn\u2019t work, so I was put under anesthesia. I\u2019m so glad Caleb was able to be with me. Our baby, Kelsi was born on November 27 and weighed just one pound, six ounces. She was so tiny they had to put her in what looked like a plastic bag to keep her body temperature regulated and inserted a breathing tube. I was terrified but so happy she made it through the birth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Couple fights for severely disabled baby\u2019s life <\/strong><\/p>\n

But the story wasn\u2019t yet over. Doctors told Jackson her daughter did not have a promising outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told us she may never walk, talk or breathe on her own,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cHer liver, eyesight, and hearing were affected by what we were now told was the CMV virus, which I apparently contracted early in my pregnancy. This was devastating news.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Kelsi was two months old, she was switched to the nose cannula, but the breathing tube was re-inserted when she turned blue as she struggled to breathe. Doctors advised a tracheotomy to improve her breathing but cautioned Jackson her child\u2019s life expectancy was low.<\/p>\n

Jackson said, \u201cThe doctors told us that if all this was just too much to handle, we should just let her go. I couldn\u2019t believe those words were said in her hospital room. Caleb and I prayed together after eight minutes of silence and told the doctors we were committed to doing everything to save our daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple believed that because of their young age, their capability to care for the daughter was being callously disregarded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate getting the worst-case scenario, and we understood there would be a lot of sacrifice, but we refused to believe there was no hope for her,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t going to accept that diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Kelsi was one year old, she started showing improvement and Kali enrolled in Kent State, commuting to school while working part-time. Kelsi was still on a ventilator and oxygen, but doctors believed she was ready to go home.<\/p>\n

Jackson said, \u201cCaleb and I had to be trained on how to change and clean the trach tube and undergo 12-hour stays so we were proficient in her care. Later we were told she couldn\u2019t come home because of lack of available nursing care. We were so frustrated at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overcoming adversity with faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

But in July 2020, Kelsi, now 20 months, was weaned off the ventilator, and though still on oxygen, was finally ready to come home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like bringing home a newborn, we all had to adjust to a new way of life,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cBy now, I was working in daycare full-time, so Caleb quit his job to care for Kelsi. We didn\u2019t want to infringe on our parents because we knew how hard it was to care for a child with so many disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

They struggled with getting in-home nursing care, as nurses didn’t want to travel to their neighborhood. Eventually, the couple moved in with Caleb\u2019s family for short-term assistance.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the nursing agency ultimately found a qualified nurse to help during the day and Kelsi, still severely behind in development, started to progress steadily.<\/p>\n

Jackson said, \u201cKelsi\u2019s eyesight has improved though she wears glasses but now she only needs a hearing aid in the left ear. Her trach tube was removed on July 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelsi, now four years old, doesn\u2019t yet talk but does use a speech device, though she is starting to emit natural sounds on her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day we hear new sounds,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI think her vocal cords are just weak. We had her tested; there\u2019s no medical reason she can\u2019t speak, but I do think her voice is strengthening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson is grateful for the miracle of Kelsi. She credits her strong faith and Christian support network for walking alongside her in difficult times. Currently serving as a director of a daycare center, Jackson loves her job. While it\u2019s not what she envisioned, she knows her life is in God\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

Jackson said, \u201cIn God, there\u2019s hope. In those moments when you don\u2019t know what to do, pray. I always believed Kelsi\u2019s life mattered even if she wasn\u2019t a typical baby. Going through this journey has taught me patience and strengthened my relationship with Christ. Don\u2019t ever give up; let God lead you through it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kali Jackson always knew she\u2019d attend college. Her goal was to study nursing and eventually embark on a career as a pediatrician. Since the sixth grade, Jackson had been enrolled in The Young Scholars Program with the promise of a full scholarship to Ohio State University. She never saw herself in the role of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":295392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nYoung family faces daughter's diagnosis with faith: 'In God, there's hope'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At the age of 16, Kali Jackson became pregnant. 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