Seven-Week-Old Juliana Continues Recovery From Intestine Disorder

Three days after Juliana Stackhouse's Oct. 18 birth, she stopped eating.

The tiny daughter of Amanda Lake and Stephen Stackhouse Jr. soon couldn't keep any food down; she lost weight and became irritable. They took her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

A battery of tests revealed she had Hirschsprung’s disease, a condition affecting the large intestine. The usual treatment is removal of sections of the colon—which was done at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Nov. 5.

"Although the surgery was very successful, our princess still has a long road ahead of her," Juliana's aunt, Ashley Brown, said. She said Juliana has been readmitted to the Children's Hospital because of ongoing symptoms—including a return to Philadelphia Tuesday because she was in distress, and having extremely painful bowel movements.

Brown noted the expenses for her transfer from Robert Wood Johnson to the Children's Hospital are not covered by health insurance, leaving her father, an EMT and volunteer firefighter in Hillsborough, and mother with an estimated $20,000 in expenses.

Brown launched a fundraising page on GoFundMe.com to help defray Juliana's expenses, with $1,220 already raised toward the $20,000 goal.

"Our beautiful niece has had a rough road, but always smiles and shows a great attitude for a one-month-old," Brown said.