Mirra Elenberger

Our sweet baby girl, Mirra Rhain Elenberger was born on Friday, June 9 at 8:52 p.m. at 11 lbs. 2 oz., 21 3/4" long and her story as a fighter started the minute she was born. Happy in the womb, passing all ultrasounds, and momma passing the gestational diabetes test, this little lady was absorbing too many sugars from food and her pancreas wasn't producing enough insulin. This caused the sugars to turn into a growth hormone unknowingly to the doctors. 

These extra growth hormones caused the walls of her heart to be thicker than normal which makes it collapses on each beat, not allowing proper blood flow or oxygenation to the blood. Beginning at the Fargo Sanford NICU for raspy sounding lungs, irregular heart beat,  low blood sugar, and unstable vitals, they chemically paralyzed and sedated her so she would use the least amount of oxygen in her muscles, to save it all up for her vital organs, the heart and lungs.  The doctors moved her to an oscillator to help her oxygen levels, but because her heart was working way harder than it should have been, it doubled in size and caused strain on her lungs.  

She was airlifted by plane then helicopter to Children's Minnesota with a medical team to preform an ECMO surgery procedure to place her on a heart/lung bypass machine so she can heal (hoping 5-10 days). She is light, noise,  and movement sensitive so this change in location was a stressful one for her little body, but she is now comfy in her calm, quiet and peaceful room.  She can only have limited visitors daily, but does love to hear whispers from mommy and daddy.

Right now they are calling her condition pulmonary hypertension as an infant, but she is going through several tests - many taking time due to an earlier blood transfusion. The next steps are unclear and we are taking it step by step, day by day and she is listed as extremely critical but stable.

Thank you for all the love and support for our little family, we appreciate every text message and call. Please understand that even though we want to message and talk with each and everyone of you, we remain focused on the care of Mirra and will be updating CaringBridge as often as we can or through a family member. 

We are very fortunate to be staying at the Ronald McDonald House, connected directly to Children's and are overwhelmed at the amount resources and support available to us, but know that sometimes we have to rely on support at home to keep daily things moving, and especially care for Mirra's awesome big sister McKinley. As humbling as it is, we will try to post or reach out if there are ways where we can use all the support that has been offered. Thank you in advance for your care, concern and prayers for us and our little fighter, Mirra.