Looking Back is Looking In
Jeannette, Michael’s mom, well remembers her early experience with The Children’s Home in 2003.
“Our nurse at The Children’s Home told us, ‘I know Michael like the back of my hand, and now my job is to make sure you know him like the back of your hand.’ And she taught us. We learned to watch him instead of the machines and to look for the signs that he was healthy and breathing.”
Michael was born weighing two-and-a-half pounds, and he would drop below two pounds before he began to gain weight. Meanwhile, Jeannette and her husband, Richard, went through the many ups and downs of having a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit. At one point, Michael’s heart stopped, but staff were able to revive him.
As time passed, Michael finally became stable enough to transition to Transitional Infant Care, the precursor to the Pediatric Specialty Hospital at The Children’s Home.
“Once we got to Transitional Infant Care at The Children’s Home, it didn’t take long before we felt like it was home,” Jeannette explained.
The small hospital was more relaxed and comfortable than what they had experienced previously. They were also able to be with Michael more and learn how to care for him.
“When we finally went home, Michael was still on a heart monitor. There was nothing more heartwarming than the occasional call from our nurses at The Children’s Home to check up on us and make sure we were okay. We felt so close to them — they were like our family.”
Today, Michael is entering high school. He likes sports, videogames, and reading and has a special interest in inventing games, such as board and card games.
