Residents Join Forces To Help Sheriff's Deputy Pay For Son's Medical Costs

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Friends, family and the community are rallying around a Cherokee Sheriff’s Office deputy and his family following a series of medical setbacks stemming from the birth of their newborn son.

A gofundme account -- Blessings For Baby Blake -- has been established to help Frank and Tabatha Jones pay for medical expenses originating from late July when the baby boy came into the world through a series of complications.

Frank Jones is a deputy with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office.

The family’s saga began July 27 when mother and father made the trip to Northside Hospital-Cherokee in Canton to welcome their son, Blake Owen Jones, into their lives.

“This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their lives, but instead, their worst nightmare unfolded,” the gofundme account states.

Tabatha Jones began having complications, so doctors performed an emergency Cesarean section. She experienced placental abruption, starving her baby for oxygen. When Blake was born, his heart was not beating and he was not breathing. He was resuscitated and flown to Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs.

Baby Blake is still in the NICU, but has been taken off a ventilator, his mother wrote on Sunday on his Facebook page.

“Blake is off the ventilator, but he still us not able to swallow so he requires a feeding tube and he is going to require a procedure to help protect his airway,” she added. “Blake suffered extreme brain damage and can not do a lot, but he is breathing so please keep praying. Doctors have said they don’t know how long he will breath, but I’m holding (onto) my faith in God. Please keep praying....as he will have surgery next week.”

The mother’s medical condition made things more difficult for the family. Her blood loss was severe, which caused her kidneys to fail and forced her to receive multiple blood transfusions.

Tabatha Jones has now been diagnosed with yet another life-threatening obstetric complication, HELLP Syndrome, the gofundme account says. Her blood pressure is dangerously high, and if not kept under control, could require her to become re-hospitalized.

The gofundme account has a goal of raising $10,000 to help the family; as of Monday afternoon, just over $6,300 has been collected.

Additionally, Moe’s Southwest Grill on Highway 92 in Woodstock will donate 20 percent of the proceeds collected from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 18 to offset the financial burden for both mother and son.

For more information, visit the gofundme page.

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Photo credit: Tabatha Jones’ Facebook page