MEET OUR VOLUNTEERS - Marie Marchesseault

Marie Marchesseault Marie Marchesseault is the mother of Anna, who was diagnosed with right-sided CDH in-utero after an ultrasound was done and more tests were performed, just to make sure everything was okay.  After the diagnosis, Marie and her husband Bob were given the option to terminate the pregnancy by the hospital, but they chose not to, due to their personal faith.  Anna was born by a scheduled c-section on November 29, 2001 and had a successful diaphragm repair at 5 days.  She went on ECMO for 4 weeks and was in the NICU for a total of two months until she was discharged.  Anna was an unusually happy baby in the NICU due to the family support and wonderful care of the MGH staff.  Although she did not have any other major complications, she was in and out of the hospital about once per year for about 6 years for respiratory related issues.  She was back in the hospital two times in 2012 but is generally an overall healthy child.   Marie’s husband Bob, their son, Benjamin, born in 1998, and their vizsla, Sammi, have been an integral part of managing Anna’s care and well-being.  Marie has a BSEE from Duke University and they are members of First Baptist Church in Reading, MA.  Because of the amazing support of her employer, she was able to take maternity leave when Anna was born and worked part-time for many years.  She currently works full-time in the telecommunications industry and is the CHERUBS co-State Representative of MA.