Child's Birth Year
2005

State/Province/Territory
Illinois

NICU Hospital for my journey
Riley Hospital for Children

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Alex and Olivia were born at 28 weeks. Both weighed 2 lbs 10oz. While Olivia just needed to grow. Alex started the fight of his life. He has surgery at 4 days old to fix a hole in his small intestines. Then after using the nitrogen oxide gas to keep him alive, it caused a grade 4 brain bleed. They had to wait for his lungs to get cleared from double pneumonia to be able to go in and put in a VP shunt. Alex spent 133 days in the NICU while Olivia spent 103. They both came home on feeding tubes and oxygen. Olivia graduated from the ng tube and lost the oxygen, while Alex graduated to a g button till he was 2 1/2, and could start taking everything by mouth! Now at the age of 18, Olivia was diagnosed with lupus nephritis, and is currently undergoing treatment for that!

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
That no matter what they have faced they have done it together and not letting anything stand in their way. They have never let anything that someone told them they could not do, define them. They have made their own path on their own road.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
2 lbs 10 oz

Weeks Gestation
28 Weeks

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Day, Month, or Year)
133 Days & 103 Days