When Kate and Annie Rucker were born, they could wear their dad’s wedding ring as a bracelet. What’s more, it was loose. Born at just 26 weeks gestation due to preeclampsia, they were classified as micro-babies, each weighing less than two pounds at birth. They spent the first 97 days of their life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with myriad tubes protruding from their tiny bodies. It was six long weeks before their parents, Stephen and Jaclyn, could even hold them.
“We took it minute by minute,” recalls Stephen. “For the first few weeks it seemed like every good day was followed by a day with not so good news.”
The first major obstacle was a heart vessel that didn’t close at birth, a common problem for premature babies. The girls were given medication, but Kate’s remained open, meaning she would have to undergo heart surgery in the first few weeks of life. For Annie, doctors would have to operate on an organ smaller than a grape.
“Walking my daughter down to surgery and watching her be wheeled out of sight into the operating room was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to endure,” recalls Stephen.
Following surgery, Kate experienced blood pressure issues and doctors maxed out the dosage of drugs they were able to give her. All they could do was wait. They informed the couple to prepare for the worst. Miraculously, she stabilized after a few days.
Both girls endured an uphill battle during their three-month stay. For their parents, it seemed every hour was spent waiting for results from another type of test or ultrasound. Among the many setbacks included laser eye surgery for both girls and a grade 2 brain bleed for Kate, which eventually resolved on its own.
Today, Annie and Kate are enjoying the rambunctious lives of toddlers, with neither girl experiencing major complications since their release from the NICU two years ago. They have physical therapy every week and tutoring to help them catch up on developmental milestones. Still, Jaclyn and Stephen know they’re part of a fortunate few – only about 20 percent of babies born this young avoid long-term complications.
“Knowing the odds, we feel beyond blessed to have not one but two children who are perfectly healthy,” says Stephen. “We support March of Dimes to help give every baby the chance at a healthy start.”
Miller Denton Smith
Sometimes happy endings are in the eye of the beholder Wendell and Alesa Smith were elated to find out they were pregnant with their first child and eagerly awaited his April due date. But on December 31- just 23 weeks into the pregnancy- their son, Miller, made an early arrival. He was delivered via emergency C-section due to a condition called cervical insufficiency, meaning the cervix prematurely dilated for unexplained reasons. Weighing a mere 1 lb. 8 oz., he was immediately rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
For the next four months, Alesa and Wendell endured the emotional rollercoaster of having a baby in the NICU. He survived the first two days- the most dire period- as well as the following “honeymoon period,” in which things seem ideal before the complications or issues arise.
“For micro-babies like Miller, every day that passes in the NICU is a miracle,” says Wendell. “In spite of the amazing ability of the doctors, nurses and staff, there is so much unknown, like the intestinal virus he fell victim to shortly after surgery.”
The surgery was a procedure to correct a common problem in premature infants called PDA (patent ductus arteriosus), in which a vessel in the heart that usually closes at birth remains open. After the intestinal virus was discovered there were more surgeries to remove parts of the infected organ. Despite all odds, Miller overcame obstacles that his doctors didn’t think he could. As the cold months turned into spring, the tiny infant grew and began to thrive.
The next surgery was to begin repairing what was left of his intestines. But the excitement of progress was immediately followed by devastation when the procedure revealed Miller’s intestines were deteriorated beyond repair. After 100 days in the NICU, he passed away on Good Friday, April 10, 2009.
“While most would say there doesn’t seem to be a happy ending, there is,” insists Wendell. “The story of Wendell’s life was followed by tens of thousands who took interest and are now more aware of the need for the March of Dimes and the wonderful lifesaving work they do. We consider Miller’s fight for life a success if it helps raise awareness and save other babies’ lives.”