Olive Branch couple grateful for support
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<p class="p1">Alexis Arnold and Kyler Hale of Olive Branch have a lot to be thankful for. </p><p class="p2">They have been together nearly four years, and are expecting their first child together in February. They are going to have a little boy and will name him Owen. </p><p class="p2">Unfortunately, Owen already has three heart surgeries planned for him once he makes his arrival.</p><p class="p2">Doctors say Owen has hypo plastic left heart syndrome, which basically means the entire left side of his heart is so small that it won't be able to support him.</p><p class="p2">The young couple is having him at St. Louis Children's Hospital in St. Louis.</p><p class="p2">He is scheduled to have surgery a few days after he is born. Doctors say he then will have another surgery when he is 4 to 6 months old and another at 3 years old.</p><p class="p2">It's hard for new parents to hear news like this, but Arnold and Hale say they have had an outpouring of support from their community.</p><p class="p2">"We're handling it OK. It's hard for us, but we try to stay strong for each other," Arnold said.</p><p class="p2">A relative of the couple has set up a GoFundMe account online to help Arnold and Hale pay for expenses, such as travel and medical bills. </p><p class="p2">There will also be a fundraiser at Texas Roadhouse in Cape Girardeau on Sunday, Jan. 31. </p><p class="p2">Arnold said they are blessed with how much support has been received from friends and family. "They have helped us out so much and have done anything they could to help us stay strong."</p><p class="p2">To learn more about the GoFundMe account, visit www.gofundme.com/9xbsst84.</p>