FUND SET UP FOR COUPLE WHOSE BABY FACES COMPLICATIONS

Sometimes, even when you do everything right, things can go wrong.

Terry and Tina Hale of Scott City did everything right when they found out they were expecting their third child. They scheduled regular prenatal visits; they ran all of the right tests.

And when Terry Alexander Hale was born Nov. 5 at 8:43 p.m., they celebrated the birth of a perfect baby boy.

Two hours later they were told their child was being taken to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis.

They hadn't even held him.

"They told me they'd bring him to me," said Tina Hale. "But they never did."

Alex, as the baby has been nicknamed, was born with Golden Har Syndrome. He has a number of physical problems, the most serious of which is an imperfect anus and several deformed discs in his back. He is currently using a colostomy bag to rid his body of waste. Alex is also almost completely deaf in his left ear.

The Hale family is very normal by today's standards. They have two other children, 7-year old Robert and 4-year old Heather, and both parents work outside the home. They are making it, which means that sometimes ends don't meet.

They do not have health insurance, although some of Alex's medical costs are covered by Medicaid.

A special fund has been set up by Synthia Martin, a family friend, to help the Hale's with financial costs.

"They are travelling back and forth every week," Martin said. "The hospital is working on the rooms they have available for the families of these children, so they're unable to house them. That's one of the reasons I started this."

Martin said she placed cans and posters in area businesses, and she knows of $93.11 that has been collected.

Due to the possibility of bad weather, the Hale family was allowed to bring Alex home after one week. However, he will still spend the largest part of his first year of life in hospitals.

"As far as his heart, liver, lungs and kidneys are concerned, he's perfectly normal," Hale said. "But he has an extra rib on his left side, and his anus and his back are his most serious problems."

Hale said Alex will have surgeries at two and four months of age to correct his imperfect anus. His development will be monitored, she said, to see how his back develops. Doctors have been unable to tell the family whether Alex will be able to walk.

Hale said she has spoken with doctors specializing in genetics, and they told her Golden Har Syndrome was not genetically- or pregnancy-linked; it is just something that happened at the time he was conceived.

Martin said the Hales will need a lot of financial help for travelling and medical expenses. "They've got Medicaid, but that's not going to cover gas, living expenses, or other things while they try to take care of him," she said.

Anyone wishing to make donations to the Hale family should contact Synthia Martin at 573-264-3462. Donations can also be made at the First Financial Bank of Scott City. The account number is 801340.