Meet November's Legendairy Little, James

Each month we donate a portion of our proceeds to a child with medical needs through the Legendairy Littles program. During the month of November we are featuring James. Legendairy Milk is making a financial contribution to James’s family.

After struggling with infertility for over 10 years, Jame’s parents elected to try IVF. They completed two egg retrievals and had one viable embryo. In the very first weeks of pregnancy, James’s mom’s HCG levels did not go up at a standard rate and it was recommended that she consider terminating the pregnancy. At the first ultrasound, James was not able to be viewed, but a few days later he was able to be seen, giving his parent such great relief. During the pregnancy, doctors discovered that James had multiple congenital heart issues, horseshoe kidneys, and urethral abnormalities. His parents spent the remainder of the pregnancy looking for the best health care for James as well as beginning genetic testing. So far, all genetic testing has come back negative. 

After birth, James underwent a major surgery to fix a large hole in his heart. This day was the scariest day for his parents, but they were so thankful when the surgery was a success. He spent the first four months of his life in the NICU and Cardiac ICU. He would experience episodes where fluid would build up around his lungs and require very close monitoring and supplemental oxygen. 

James has recently developed a condition called torticollis. This is a tightening of his neck muscles related to the favoring of one sick after his Thoracotomy surgery. James is attending physical therapy to help him overcome these tight muscles. The next surgery is planned to repair his Hypospadia as soon as his swelling around his kidneys resolves. James has to attend regular ultrasounds and lab work to watch for when the best time to have his surgery will be. Another surgery in James’s future is to fix his urethra. Any surgery that James has to undergo is complicated related to his horseshoe kidneys and chronic kidney disease. James will have chronic kidney disease for life as well as frequent visits with his cardiologist because of his hole between the ventricles in his heart. His family hopes to continue genetic testing in the future. 

Even with everything James goes through, he is such a happy baby. He adores his four-legged brothers, Gator the German Shepherd with Dwarfism and Tater Tot the 140-pound English Lab. He loves to watch Ms. Rachael and play with his horsey rattle. Whenever the family has time, they enjoy going to the Aquarium to look at the fish and reach books together. If you would like to donate directly to James’s family, you can do so through their GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/dfeb9cc81