Families - 2026
Meet the Bodiford Family
Hi, we are the Bodiford’s! My name is Kansas and my husband is Joseph. I am 25 years old and my husband is 27. We have been married almost two years but have been together for over a decade! On September 5th, 2026 our daughter Kizzy Jo was born making us a family of three. Along with both of our families, we are natives of small town Barnwell, South Carolina. We are also proud Barnwell Warhorse Alumni. I am one of four daughters and Joseph has two brothers one of them being an identical twin. We have known each other since grade school. Joseph and I have been inseparable since middle school and that’s when our love story began. The older we grew, the more I knew he was my soul mate and that we would get married. After finishing college and starting our grown up jobs we got engaged in January of 2024. Our dreams came true on the day that we said I do. Surrounded by family and friends who patiently waited for that day to come I became Mrs. Joseph Bodiford in November 2024. Married life was no different for us being that we had been together for so long and so we thought the time was right to expand our family! We both knew and felt ready for the next journey in our life so we started trying for a baby in September 2025. We found out about our blessing, and that we were expecting in January of 2026. We were so happy that it was finally our turn and thankful that the lord trusted us to bring a beautiful baby into the world!
Little did we know all the ups and downs our pregnancy journey would entail. Little did we know or realize that in the very beginning of what was supposed to be the most wonderful and exciting event of our lives together would bring unexpected fears and stress. We went into this pregnancy expecting all the normal joy and surprises. Our dream of a healthy baby and our illusion of the perfect pregnancy came to a terrifying halt when at our 12 week appointment for bloodwork to find out the gender of our baby and for the required genetic testing all came back inconclusive with no results on a Friday afternoon. We then had to wait all weekend until Monday morning to find out any answers when my OB called and said he was referring me to a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) Doctor to hopefully give us more information regarding the genetic testing results. Her office called me and gave me an appointment for five weeks out. I immediately told the scheduler that my OB referred me to them and I needed to be seen sooner. The doctor called me back and explained to me that she couldn’t see us until I was at least 18 weeks gestation. The tests and scans she needed to rule out certain genetic anomalies wouldn’t show anything until then. She said if I already knew that I did not wish to continue the pregnancy she would see me sooner. I said I am not terminating off of one test result and that I would wait and pray! This meant waiting another five weeks. The anxiety of waiting and not knowing what to do was taking its toil on both Joseph and I and our families. All we could do was put our faith in GOD and pray for a miracle.
We finally made it to the 18 week anatomy scan, during this we were told our baby had an Omphalocele which is a birth defect where the intestines and sometimes other major organs are formed on the outside of the abdomen through the belly button. An Omphalocele is rare and affects 1 in every 4 to 5,000 births. Finding out about this condition was not the only concern. We were told that our baby was small for gestation, and these specific findings were consistent with a genetic disorder called Edward’s syndrome, also known as Trisomy 18 a rare and severe genetic chromosomal condition with a high mortality rate. With heavy hearts filled with fear and anxiety we put all our faith in GOD and continued to pray for a miracle. We waited two more weeks for additional genetic blood work on me and baby to come back and when the day finally came we were relieved to find out that our little miracle received her own miracle. The test results were normal for me and baby! While we still had to be closely monitored these results gave us some relief!
After finding out the gender, we decided to name our daughter Kizzy Jo Bodiford! Being that our baby was going to be unique we thought she needed a unique name. Kizzy was a family name on my husband’s side and Jo is for Joseph, which also happens to be my mother and father in laws middle name. From there, our pregnancy was watched very closely with many routine and high risk appointments. The MFM provider said most babies with omphaloceles could have heart problems so we were referred to pediatric cardiology to get an ECHO done. By the grace of God, ours didn’t and her ECHO and cardiac testing came back normal! This was yet another blessing from God! We also got referred to pediatric surgery, being that she would need an abdominal surgery at birth. After meeting with the general surgeons, we were told they did not and would not have a set plan until birth where they could fully assess the omphalocele to see if it was small enough to fit back into her abdomen right away. Or if it was bigger than expected she could have to wait to get the surgery. I then decided it was best to transfer my OB care from Piedmont to Wellstar MCG since that’s where Kizzy would undergo surgery, and I did not want to be separated from my baby at birth.
I can remember walking into one of the many appointments feeling so nervous and scared fearful that they would find something else wrong with our precious baby. This is a feeling that you never think you will have, or experience until you do. I can remember having all these fears and my faith started to shift, this was more than nerves. I started to question GOD. I remember asking him why us? Why my baby? What did we do wrong? In my grief and stress I ask why would you make us go through all of this? All we wanted in life was each other and our sweet Kizzy. We are faithful servants, we put all our trust and faith in God. I thought back on my sister’s pregnancies and their healthy babies, and was envious of them. In an instant he answered me. I humbled myself and surrendered all my fears, and thanked GOD for the blessings Joseph and I have had been given in life. I was so thankful for healthy nephews and a niece, and that my sisters did not have to endure all that we had. GOD chose us to be her parents. He knew before we did, and prepared us for this. He knew we could handle this situation, and he knew in my moments of weakness that I would call on him and trust him. He knew this would not overcome or defeat us!
Fast forward to August 18th, 2026.
I went into preterm labor, and was admitted to Wellstar MCG. We were told I might have to deliver our baby girl early if they weren’t able to stop my labor and contractions. This was very scary because I knew she was not ready. This would cause her to have more NICU time due to her being premature. However, they were able to stop my labor, and I got discharged after three days. Unfortunately, since I was already dilated, had a bulging amniotic sac, and our baby was high risk due to her birth defect we were told we could not return home to Barnwell. We did not have anywhere close to the hospital to stay so we began to stress and worry. By the grace of God we were told by the medical team that the Ronald McDonald House is on the same campus as the hospital was an option for us to stay at. They called, we filled out an application, and they said they had a room for us to stay in until we delivered our precious baby. This was a blessing that we did not know we would end up needing. We also were approved to stay after we delivered our sweet Kizzy Jo.
After staying at the Ronald McDonald House for 15 days, Kizzy decided it was time for her to come, my water broke late on September 4th. Kizzy Jo was born September 5th at 8:53am. She weighed 8lbs 11.7oz, 21 inches long which was a big surprise being that the whole pregnancy she was measuring small. The NICU team, surgeons and all other necessary staff were there at delivery. After turning blue and dropping her oxygen saturation, she was quickly intubated, and put on a breathing machine and rushed to the NICU. I had to wait four hours after giving birth to finally see her, and then when I did finally see her I could only hold her hand. Being in the medical field desensitizes you to some things but seeing your own daughter being on a breathing machine, having tubes. and machines all hooked up is very different and upsetting. Knowing there is nothing we can do to take her pain away or help her weighed so heavy on our hearts. After birth Kizzy stayed on the breathing machine until she was able to have surgery on Labor Day, the surgery went perfect, and she now has a small incision that will overtime heal and eventually become her belly button. She still remains in the NICU at this time breathing on her own, building up her feeding tolerance, and being the perfect blessing from God that she is! Although I am a nurse, it is definitely difficult to be on the other side as a parent. I am forever grateful for the nurses and staff that has helped take care of our baby. We are still awaiting genetic testing on both Kizzy and ourselves to get a better understanding of where the birth defect came from.
At this time, we are leaning on God and trusting in his plan that we will soon be able to take our beautiful baby girl home, and she will be fully healed. This is a testimony that we never knew we would have, and we are fortunate to be able to share with others! We are so thankful and blessed to have God through it all!
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Meet the Mixon Fa
My pregnancy with Etta became complicated pretty early because of high blood pressure. As the pregnancy went on, it became harder and harder to control, even with medication.
In June, I was sent to the hospital after my blood pressure reached a dangerously high level. I ended up being admitted while they worked to get it under control. I was eventually able to go home but from that point on we knew things could change quickly.
Then in July, at only 26 weeks pregnant, I was admitted to the hospital again.
At that point the goal was to keep Etta inside of me for as long as it was safely possible while also keeping me safe. Every extra day mattered for her development, so we prayed for one more day and then another.
At the same time, the doctors were very concerned about what my blood pressure could do to me. They were watching closely because I was at risk of having a stroke or seizures. Every day they would ask me the same questions: Did I have a headache? Was I seeing spots? Was I having pain? Was I short of breath?
For days, I was able to say no.
We made it to 27 weeks and 4 days.
Then everything changed.
It felt like all of those symptoms they had been warning me about suddenly hit me at once. I was in so much strange, uncomfortable pain that I couldn't even really explain what I was feeling. I started seeing things floating in my vision and I knew something was very wrong.
I truly felt like I was dying.
Things moved very quickly from there and Etta had to be delivered by emergency C-section.
She was born weighing only 2 pounds 3 ounces and was 14.25 inches long.
When they took her out, she wasn't breathing.
Instead of hearing our baby cry and getting to hold her, there was a team working to help our tiny little girl breathe. She was taken straight to the NICU and put on a jet ventilator that essentially had to breathe for her.
Her lungs were so tiny and fragile that holes developed in them, causing air to leak out where it wasn't supposed to. Her lungs collapsed multiple times and she ended up needing a chest tube on each side of her little body to remove the trapped air and help her lungs open back up.
Those first days were terrifying. Every time it seemed like we might be able to breathe a little, there was something else.
We learned that Etta had a brain bleed that would have to be followed with ultrasounds of her head. Then came concerns with her heart. She has a PDA, which basically means a blood vessel near her heart that should have closed after she was born stayed open. She also has a heart murmur and other things on her heart scans that the doctors need to continue watching.
Meanwhile, her lungs were still struggling, the chest tubes were still in, and she was still on the ventilator.
At her smallest, Etta dropped down to only 1 pound 13 ounces.
And we still hadn't held our baby.
For more than a week, we stood beside her bed looking at this unbelievably tiny little girl surrounded by tubes, wires and machines. We could touch her when we were allowed, help with little parts of her care when she was stable enough, and talk to her, but we couldn't pick her up and hold her.
That is one of the hardest things about the NICU to explain. You have to ask permission to do things with your own baby that you never imagined having to ask about. Can I touch her? Can I change her diaper? Can I take her temperature? Can I hold her?
We had to wait until Etta's chest tubes were finally removed before we could hold her for the first time.
She was over a week old.
She was still on the ventilator, so even then we couldn't simply pick her up and cuddle her. Staff had to carefully move Etta along with her breathing tube, wires and equipment. We had to hold her a certain way and for a certain amount of time because her little body couldn't handle being moved around too much.
But none of that mattered.
Our baby was finally in our arms.
After more than a week on the ventilator, Etta eventually became strong enough to come off of it and move to CPAP. It was another huge step forward.
Then we faced another scary problem, this time with her stomach and intestines.
Etta was having trouble with her feedings, was throwing up and wasn't able to poop without help. There became enough concern about a blockage in her intestines that surgeons were brought in to evaluate her.
Her feedings had to be stopped while they tried to figure out exactly what was happening. She went through different testing, including contrast testing where they used dye to see what was going on inside her intestines. Once again, we were waiting, praying and wondering what the doctors were going to find and what it would mean for this tiny baby who had already been through so much.
Feeding itself has been a journey too. Etta has needed a feeding tube because she was born so early and still needs so much breathing support. Eventually she will have to learn how to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing safely, something full-term babies are usually ready to do when they're born. But right now, with CPAP constantly pushing air to help keep her lungs open, trying to drink by mouth could cause her to choke. So, for now, her milk goes through a feeding tube directly into her stomach while her lungs and the rest of her little body continue to grow stronger. Even learning to eat is another milestone we're waiting and praying for.
As her lungs have gotten stronger, Etta has tried twice to move from CPAP down to a nasal cannula. Both times we hoped so badly that she was ready, but her little body told us otherwise and she had to go back on CPAP.
Because she was born so early, sometimes her brain still forgets to tell her little body to breathe. She actually gets caffeine every day to help remind her to breathe, which is something I never knew was even a thing until we entered the NICU world. She continues to have episodes where her oxygen and heart rate can drop tremendously and very suddenly. Watching those numbers fall and hearing the alarms is something I don't think you ever really get used to. For now, she still needs the extra breathing support.
Thankfully, right now Etta is doing good, and we thank God for that every single day.
She still needs CPAP, still receives her feedings through a tube and still has those episodes with her oxygen and heart rate. But when we look back at the 2-pound, 3-ounce baby who wasn't breathing when she entered this world, it is amazing to see how far she has come.
The NICU teaches you very quickly that progress isn't a straight line. Sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back. Things most people would never think twice about become huge celebrations- a little weight gain, tolerating a feeding, needing a little less breathing support, getting another tube removed, or simply having a quiet day.
The doctors and nurses keep reminding us to look toward Etta's original due date, October 23, when we think about coming home. That doesn't mean she will come home that day. It could be a little before or it could be after. It all depends on Etta and when her little body is ready. She still has growing to do, has to be able to breathe without the extra support and has to learn to eat safely on her own.
And even when that day finally comes, bringing Etta home won't mean her journey is over. Because she was born so extremely premature and has been through so much, she will continue to be followed closely after we leave the NICU. We will have specialists to see and appointments to keep, along with occupational therapy, physical therapy and respiratory follow-ups to help make sure she continues growing, developing and getting stronger.
So, while we are counting down the days until we can finally walk out of the hospital with our baby, we also know that coming home will really just be the beginning of the next part of Etta's journey. And whatever that looks like, we will take it the same way we've taken everything else with her, one day at a time, and with God leading us through it.
While Etta has been fighting in the NICU, the rest of our family has been living in two different places.
I haven't been able to return to work because my days are spent here with Etta. I want to be beside her through this, especially when so much of being her mama has already been outside of my control.
We also have two older children at home who are anxiously waiting for their baby sister- and for us- to come home. Their grandma has stepped in tremendously taking them in to love on them and keep things going while I stay with Etta. Brady continues to work and drives back and forth, trying to be there for our older children on weekends while also being here for Etta and me whenever he can.
Most days it feels like our family is scattered everywhere, and all we want is the day when we can finally all be home together.
One of the hardest things about NICU life is leaving the hospital without your baby. Everything in you as her mama says she is supposed to be with you, and walking away from her bedside never feels normal.
Instead, you learn to live by monitors and alarms. You celebrate ounces and milliliters. You ask permission to hold your own child and do the most basic things for her. You leave her bedside when you don't want to, and then you come back and do it all over again.
And through all of it, you pray.
God has been at the center of Etta's story from the very beginning. That doesn't mean we haven't been terrified, cried or questioned why. There have been times when I haven't even known what words to pray anymore.
But God knew.
He was with me when I truly felt like I was dying, and He was with Etta when she entered this world at only 27 weeks and 4 days and wasn't breathing. He has carried her through collapsed lungs, chest tubes, more than a week on a ventilator, brain bleeds, heart concerns, an intestinal blockage, feeding struggles and more scary alarms than I could ever count.
And somehow, this tiny little girl just keeps fighting.
She has already overcome so much in such a short life. We don't know whether she will be ready to come home before October 23, around her due date or sometime after. We've learned that Etta is going to do things on Etta's time.
For now, our job is to be here, love her, pray over her and let her keep showing us just how strong she is.
She is a fighter. There is no doubt about that.
And we trust that when her little body is finally ready, God will bring our family the rest of the way home together.
Thank you for taking the time to hear Etta's story and for sharing our little girl with people who are willing to care about a family they haven't even met. It means more to us than I could ever put into words.
