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Bryant and Abbi (Francis) Odom were golfers at UGA. Bryant was an SEC medalist, a three-time All-SEC pick and a team captain during his playing days from 1999-2002. Abbi lettered in 2002 and 2003 for the women’s team.
The Odoms live in Cullowhee, North Carolina where Bryant coaches the Western Carolina University golf team and Abbi is a third grade teacher at a local charter school.
The family needs a hand because of an extremely rare pregnancy complication that has caused their newborn son, Charley, to have been in hospital since December 2014.
Please click HERE for the complete story and to extend a paw to this couple and their son.
On December 30, 2014, Charlotte “Charley” Linn Odom was born by means of an emergency C-section, due to a dropping and sporadic heart rate. She weighed 3 pounds and 5 ounces. Charley had spent 31 weeks growing in the safety of Abbi’s womb, but she could grow there no longer and entered this world 9 weeks sooner than expected.
Amidst all of the rejoicing at the birth of precious little Charley, the Odom’s trials were not over. As Charley was born she was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for further evaluation and necessary life support systems. The esophageal issues that had been suspected by the specialist were now clearly seen by the hospital’s medical team. Charley was born with aTracheoesophageal Fistula (TE Fistula) – a gap in the middle of the esophagus which prohibits food and fluid from finding its way to her tiny little tummy. 36 hours after being born, little Charley underwent surgery to repair the TE Fistula. The surgery was a success, but the road to recovery will not be swift. Charley will spend anywhere from 6 to 8 more weeks in the hospital’s NICU.