TRAVERSE CITY — Theodore James and Isabelle Cathleen Jean, two of the first babies born at Munson Medical Center in 2023, were taken to the Helen Devos Children’s Hospital, following complications.
The twins were born at 24 weeks to parents Kileigh and Brian Jean, 26 from Empire, in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
After initially being placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, both twins were transported to the Grand Rapids’ medical facility Wednesday, grandfather Mike Jean said.
“They’re better now than they were yesterday morning, but they have a very long way to go,” he said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
The babies were due April 20. When born, Theodore weighed in at 1 pound and 11 ounces and Isabelle weighed 1 pound, 7 ounces, according to previous reporting. While at Munson, they were receiving fluids through their belly buttons.
“They’re hanging in there,” Kileigh said in an interview Sunday.
Isabelle was the first to be transported to Helen Devos Children’s Hospital, around 1:30 am Wednesday. Theodore was transferred later that afternoon.
Mike said the parents will be staying in Grand Rapids, and intend to find housing through the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Meanwhile, a colleague of Kileigh’s, Mikaela Bogart, launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for the family’s medical expenses.
“Not only is Kileigh a dear friend, a dedicated wife, and new mother, but she also has devoted her life to caring for sick infants as a nurse in the same NICU where her own children are now being cared for,” the description of the GoFundMe campaign reads.
The campaign can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-jean-family
“I’ve said all my life, it takes a village to raise kids,” Mike said. “Right now, we’ll take all the prayers we can get.”
Report for America corps member and data journalist William T. Perkins’ reporting is made possible by a partnership between the Record-Eagle and Report for America, a journalism service project founded by the nonprofit Ground Truth Project. Generous community support helps fund a local share of the Record-Eagle/RFA partnership. To support RFA reporters in Traverse City, go to www.record-eagle.com/rfa.
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