When Annelise Lacasse welcomed her daughter Rheaya Marie Henault on July 24, she thought her family’s long-awaited dream had come true.

The little girl was born weighing a healthy 7lb 13oz, and after an uncomplicated pregnancy, everything appeared perfect. Annelise, her fiancé Kyle Henault, and their two other daughters were overjoyed to welcome another beautiful baby girl.

But within just 24 hours, their happiness turned into fear.

Rheaya had not passed her first bowel movement. By 30 hours old, she began vomiting green fluid — a warning sign that something was seriously wrong.

She was rushed to the NICU at Women & Infants Hospital, leaving Annelise devastated and desperate for answers.

“I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t know what was wrong with my baby,” her mother recalled.

Doctors carried out X-rays and ultrasounds and initially suspected an intestinal blockage. Rheaya was taken into surgery the following morning, with her family expecting the procedure to last only an hour or two.

But four hours passed.

Then the surgeon walked into the waiting room.

“I knew something wasn’t right when I saw her face,” Annelise said.

Doctors had discovered that there was no simple blockage to remove. Instead, they found a much more complicated problem and sent a piece of Rheaya’s intestine for testing.

The results brought a diagnosis the family had never expected: Hirschsprung disease.

Rheaya’s large intestine had not developed the nerves needed to function properly during pregnancy. Only a very small portion of her small intestine was working normally, leaving her unable to pass waste in the usual way.

Doctors had to create a stoma, meaning Rheaya now relies on a colostomy bag to pass her stool.

For a family who believed they were bringing home a perfectly healthy newborn, the news was overwhelming.

“It was all such a shock,” Annelise shared. “In every other way, she is a beautiful, healthy baby. You would never know by looking at her that anything was wrong.”

Rheaya was also given a PICC line so she could receive essential nutrients through TPN while her tiny digestive system was given time and medical support.

Weeks later, the family remains in hospital, with doctors warning that they may need to stay for several months.

Feeding has been another challenge. Rheaya initially refused both bottles and pacifiers, so her mother began pumping breast milk to provide her daughter with the best nutrition possible.

Eventually, doctors introduced a feeding tube through Rheaya’s nose, starting with just 1ml of breast milk every hour.

So far, her little body has tolerated the feeds.

Through every procedure, every uncertainty and every long day in hospital, Rheaya has continued to show remarkable strength.

“She has been so strong through all of this — stronger than us, for sure,” her family said.

Now Annelise and Kyle are hoping to raise funds to seek additional medical opinions, learn more about Rheaya’s rare and complex condition, and understand what treatments could give their daughter the best possible future.

“We just want the best for our baby girl,” Annelise said. “We can’t give her everything she needs alone.”

For now, the family is taking their journey one day at a time, holding tightly to every small piece of good news.

“My little Rheaya Sunshine will get through this,” her mother said. “We have so much love and support, and I know together we can give her the best life possible.”

Source: Gofundme