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The Brices struggle to make ends meet financially as they care for their 3-month-old daughter Kaydence, who suffers from the medical condition gastroschisis. //Contributed
Three-month-old Kaydence Brice is a happy, interactive baby, says her father, Andy Brice.
But her blissful disposition comes despite a young life filled with three major surgeries, and much time spent at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
She was born with a condition called gastroschisis, and her intestines along with part of her liver and reproductive organs were on the outside of her body at birth.
Kaydence underwent surgery to put the organs back inside her body, and most recently had surgery two weeks ago in Los Angeles to repair a bowel obstructed by scar tissue. In addition, the baby's appendix was removed during that hospital visit, as her mother Holly Brice said the organ was “just kind of floating around” in her body.
She returned home to Santa Maria on Feb. 14, and is doing well, but her parents don't know if and when another problem will arise.
“Each surgery's a little harder on her than the last one,” said Andy Brice, a police officer with the Santa Maria Police Department.
The surgeries have also been difficult on Brice, 25, and his wife Holly, 23, who also have a 2-year-old daughter, Audrey.
The Brices both previously served in the Air Force.
Holly Brice currently stays home to care for the couple's daughters, and is going to school at night. She said she will be running a home daycare to make ends meet.
“It's been horrible, and we've been through so much this past year, with job changes and surgeries,” she said.
There's also the financial burden, with the family still in debt from medical bills for Kaydence's first trip to the hospital.
“Of course, there's ridiculous expenditures and bills that have come with all this,” Holly Brice said, adding that gas costs for travel to Los Angeles have been part of the financial drain.
To help with medical expenses, the Kaydence Brice Benefit Fund has been established. Donations may be made to the fund at any Rabobank branch.
Christine van Solinge and Cynthia Vigneron of Safety 1st Seminars, for which Andy Brice works as a CPR instructor, set up the fund.“I don't like being the charity case,” Andy Brice said, but added that funding continual surgeries would be tough to maintain.
Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or
syale@santamariatimes.com.
February 25, 2008
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