Norfolk, Va. - Even before birth, Tiffany Rouse says she was told her son would have a hole in his heart and a clubbed foot.
But, three days after baby Jordan was born, doctors realized his condition was much more serious.
“He came in and he explained to me Jordan has Trisomy 18. Basically, he was like, we can't tell you how long he will be here with you,” explained Rouse.
“I'm losing my son,” is what Rouse said went through her mind when the Doctor told her that. “I had a stillborn 10 years ago, so I know it's hard losing a child.”
Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome, is a chromosomal disorder.
Unlike Down Syndrome, the physical and developmental issues caused by it can be more life-threatening.
"According to the numbers, they say that babies don't even make it past one month and Jordan is 2 1/2 months so, so far he has beat those odds," said Rouse.
It’s a huge milestone, one that brings hope to his mom who quit her job to be by his side in the hospital.
Rouse will temporarily move to Washington D.C. on Thursday.
Doctors there will perform open heart surgery on Jordan. It’s a risky procedure that many hospitals won’t perform. It also brings no guarantees.
Still, Rouse is staying optimistic despite not knowing how she'll pay the medical bills or if her baby boy will even survive.
"That's going to be the last thing on my mind. I'm trying to stay positive and praying and everything, trying to spend as much time with him as I can."
While in D.C., Tiffany says she will be living at the Ronald McDonald House.
Her 13-year-old daughter will stay in Hampton Roads with her grandmother in the meantime.
