Jaxx's Stocking Fundraiser

Turning Fear into Hope for Moms & Babies Around the World

Every year, mothers and babies around the world face a rare, life threatening condition called HDFN; when a mother’s blood creates antibodies that attack her baby’s red blood cells. With the right care, babies survive HDFN and thrive. Without it, the outcomes can be devastating.

That’s where the Allo Hope Foundation (AHF) comes in. AHF provides education, specialist referrals, global access initiatives, and research so that mothers and babies receive the lifesaving care and support they need during their HDFN diagnosis.

Throughout the Holiday season, we are raising money for AHF to honor Jaxx's battle with HDFN and to help protect other babies from preventable harm. Please join me in sharing hope with those who need it most by contributing to Jaxx's Stocking Fundraiser.

Your donation today helps:

• Put a support booklet in the hands of a newly diagnosed mother so she can advocate for her baby

• Fund a blood-type test or Rh immunoglobulin dose for a mother in a low resource country.

• Connect a family with a maternal–fetal specialist experienced in HDFN.

• Advance research and education to prevent stillbirths and infant deaths caused by alloimmunization and HDFN.

Our son Jaxx was born with a rare condition called HDFN (Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn). At 28 weeks pregnant, I received a RhoGAM injection that was supposed to protect him from developing antibodies against the D antigen. Instead, I had a reaction that caused my body to reject the medication—something that happens in only 1–3% of people. I experienced a placental abruption, which exposed Jaxx’s blood to my anti-D and anti-little c antibodies. This is where alloimmunization comes in: my immune system recognized his red-blood-cell antigens as “foreign” and attacked them, forcing his tiny body to fight off my antibodies before he was even born. These antibodies are among the most dangerous in pregnancy because they aggressively destroy a baby’s red blood cells, leading to severe hemolytic anemia, heart failure, and even fetal loss if not caught and treated quickly.

As a result, Jaxx was born with hemolytic anemia (type of anemia cause by the premature destruction of red blood cells where the cells are being destroyed faster than bone marrow can produce new ones). Alloimmunization affects only about 0.4% of the world’s population, so the hospital—through no fault of their own—did not fully recognize the severity of his condition, and he did not receive the blood transfusion he likely needed at birth. Thanks to the Allo Hope Foundation, I now understand how different his NICU care should have been. We are incredibly fortunate that Jaxx is a fighter and survived without blood transfusions, but this is not the reality for many families. Babies are still dying from a treatable disease simply because providers and mothers don’t have access to the knowledge and guidance needed. Please consider donating to this remarkable foundation. Our family was lucky—others should not have to rely on luck.

Thank you for helping us honor Jaxx and for standing with families facing HDFN around the world. Your generosity brings education, treatment, and hope to those who need it most.

From our family to yours, we wish you a beautiful and peaceful holiday season.

Learn more about The Allo Hope Foundation here: https://allohopefoundation.org