CHANDLER, AZ — A Chandler couple is spending most of this holiday season at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Charlene and Colin Noonan's daughter Lucy was born just four months ago, but she's had more surgeries in that short time than most of us will ever have.
"We found out when I was pregnant with her she had a heart condition and would need to be hospitalized for a long time after she was born," Charlene said.
Lucy had open heart surgery, intestine surgery, and is now battling fluid build-up in her chest. Coincidentally Charlene is a nurse at PCH, but she isn't back on the job yet.
"My work is family so we have so many people looking out for her and just taking such great care of her," Charlene said. And now the community is taking care of the Noonan family also.
Friends organized a Christmas-themed fundraiser at Sun Valley Community Church in Tempe with Santa, a bake sale, games and more.
"It breaks my heart to see them having to spend all the time in the hospital with their little one, so we just wanted to throw an awesome fundraiser for them try to relieve some of the stress," family friend Amy Glomski said.
Colin Noonan said he never could've guessed so many people would come out to support his family.
"It's been very overwhelming for us to see people who we've never even met in our lives, complete strangers coming out," he said. Right now, all they can do is wait.
They hope Lucy will be home from the hospital early next year.
"We're just so thankful for everybody's love and support and prayers. It just means so much to us," Charlene said.
There is a crowdfunding page set up to help the Noonan family with expenses.
