LUTTRELL, Tenn. (WATE) — It hasn’t been easy for a Luttrell woman and her husband to conceive their first child, but after two miscarriages within five months, they will welcome their daughter into the world.
The couple will travel in a few short weeks to Vanderbilt where the mother will be induced into labor and within the same week, her baby will need to have at least three surgeries on her heart.
Ashley Ray’s daughter, Kynsley, will be born with half a heart.
“She has pulmonary stenosis and a leaking valve,” Ashley said. “Everything was going well until 19 weeks and that’s when we got the news about the hypoplastic left heart syndrome.”
News no expecting parent ever wants to hear but Ashley and her husband Tyler are keeping their heads high. According to Tyler, the doctors don’t know why or how the baby developed the condition.
“It just kind of happens sporadically. There is no known cause from what we’ve been told. It’s nothing I’ve done or him and it’s not genetic,” Ashley added.
For the pair, being a parent will be a dream come true. Ashley says she asked several times about termination prior to the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade in June.
“It was an automatic no when they asked,” Ashley said. “It’s just the not knowing what would happen if I did say, ‘yeah, let’s do it.’ I’m 34 weeks and one day, what’s to say she’s going to make it and that’s something I couldn’t live with if I did.”
Ashley believes many other women are in a similar situation as her struggle with that dilemma.
“I was angry. I was mad and then I continuously prayed. It’s like he took all that worry and everything away and I’ve put all my faith in Him,” she said.
Cynthia Ray, Ashley’s mother, is raising money to help cover expenses while Ashley and Tyler stay in Nashville two weeks before her induction date at the request of her doctors. She also refers to her daughter as very brave.
“I just didn’t want them to stress about their bills here and worrying about not having a place to bring her home to,” Cynthia said. “So I started a shirt fundraiser but I felt like it just wasn’t enough, so I started the GoFundMe. I know we’re not going to hit that $10,000 mark but every little bit helps.”
When asked what if she was proven wrong.
Holding back tears she responded, “Praise God.”
It is uncertain how exactly long the family will be away from their home due to the planned surgeries for baby Kynsley.
Some children’s hospitals consider hypoplastic heart syndrome one of the most complex cardiac defects seen in newborns.
To donate to the family, please visit the GoFundMe page, Her Fight is Our Fight Fundraiser.