This little girl was born at just 26 weeks. She survived a life-threatening illness that took most of her small intestine, and now, her family is searching beyond their home state for a hospital that may be able to help her. 🏥🙏

Mazlyn has already spent two weeks in the hospital during this latest medical crisis.

Her aunt, Destini, reached out hoping that sharing Mazlyn’s story might connect her family with someone who knows where they can turn next.

“Could you share my niece’s story? She’s got a rare disease and my brother and sister are trying to raise funds to help get her to a good hospital out of the state.”
Mazlyn’s medical journey began almost as soon as her life did.

Born extremely premature at just 26 weeks, she developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal disease that can cause severe inflammation and damage to intestinal tissue.

For Mazlyn, the damage was devastating.

Her family says doctors had to remove most of her small intestine.

She survived. ❤️

But she was left with short bowel syndrome, meaning the intestine she has left cannot absorb enough nutrients to fully support her growing body.

So Mazlyn depends on something most of us never have to think about simply to receive the nutrition she needs.

She has a central line through which she receives TPN, or intravenous nutrition, directly into her bloodstream.

That lifeline also means that something as seemingly ordinary as a fever can quickly become an emergency.

According to her family, whenever Mazlyn develops a fever, she has to be hospitalized for at least 48 hours so doctors can determine whether she has developed a potentially dangerous central-line infection.

But this hospitalization has brought another frightening concern.

Her family says doctors discovered that Mazlyn has acidosis, meaning her body has too much acid in its fluids and her blood pH has fallen below its normal range.

Now, two weeks into her hospitalization, her family is still waiting for answers. 💔

They are reaching out to hospitals outside their state that specialize in complex intestinal conditions, hoping to find doctors who can determine what is happening and what options may be available for their little girl.

Meanwhile, her parents, Justen and Nikki, are trying to hold everything together.

They live about an hour from the children’s hospital where Mazlyn is currently receiving care. They want to be beside their sick daughter every moment they can.

But they also have another little girl, Maci, who has just started school. 🎒💕

Their family is being pulled in two directions while they navigate a medical journey that began before Mazlyn ever had the chance to know life outside a hospital.

So today, we’re being asked to come together for them.

Maybe someone reading this has raised a child with short bowel syndrome.

Maybe you know of a pediatric intestinal rehabilitation program or a specialist who could point this family toward another option.

Maybe your family has walked through NEC and recognizes part of Mazlyn’s story.

Or maybe all you can offer is a prayer and a share. 🙏

Those matter too.

Please pray for Mazlyn.

Pray that her doctors can determine what is causing this latest crisis and help her little body become stable again.

Pray that her family hears from the right hospital — the one with the expertise they’ve been desperately searching for.

And pray for Justen and Nikki as they try to be there for both of their daughters while carrying a burden that began when Mazlyn entered this world far too soon.

She has already fought so hard to be here. Now her family is simply asking for help finding the care she needs to keep fighting. 💗🙏