Child's Birth Year
2009

State/Province/Territory
Michigan

NICU Hospital for my journey
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Andrea was born at 23 weeks, 4 days gestation, and weighed only 20 oz . She had PDA ligation surgery at only 10 days old and was at just under a pound by then. We were on the NICU rollercoaster ride within seconds of her arrival as she suffered grade 2 brain bleeds and multiple blood transfusions in the first days. Despite many initial setbacks; on and off high-frequency ventilator and conventional vent, eye surgeries and severe dysphagia she slowly thrived. Her father called her "tubes" for a long time because she had so many different breathing and feeding tubes. Thanks to the March of Dimes successful research the medicine surfactant helped her lungs to slowly healed. The nurses were the best at DeVos and her neonatalogist was incredible! Andrea recently reunited with him and again he encouraged her many overachievements. The journey was not only one for her, but for our entire family as well. We learned the stories of many other neonates and shared in their grief and joy throughout the years. Andrea continues to impress everyone she meets. She loves language and absorbs every detail about cultures around the world. She reads, reads, reads and then even researches about the books she is reading. Everyone delights in her presence and she loves the attention.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
She has a positive attitude no matter the situation. She has thrived but she has also worked hard to overcome difficulties, both physically and mentally. She has inverted the ' weakness ' of acute hearing and sensitivity, which causes frustration and anxiety into a strength; learning languages and complexities of other cultures and perspectives. She has a dream of sharing her stories and art with those around the world. She is also extremely artistic and has created a wall of original art in our home. She is compassionate to a fault and will give her last dollar to buy a meal for the homeless or a gift for a child in another country. She recently was moved to buy 5 transistor radios for a remote area of the Philippines. After all that's been given for her she has learned to be a giver too.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
1 lb 4 oz

Weeks Gestation
23 Weeks

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Day, Month, or Year)
126 Days