Meet our Ambassador Family,
Brandi & Dallas
After years of believing that I was unable to conceive, I discovered that I was pregnant. Having never experienced pregnancy, I thought that the difficulty in bearing a child was part of the journey to motherhood. At 22 weeks and 3 days, my water broke. After being examined, amniotic fluid was detected and preparation for Dallas’ early arrival began.
On October 6th, 2019, Dallas was born at 23 weeks and 4 days, under 1 lb. He was so small that he could fit into the palm of my hand. As soon as he was born, he was whisked away to be intubated. I didn’t get to see him but I was able to hear a slight cry and that he had one eye open, so I was hopeful. Hours later I was finally able to visit him in the NICU where a knot was discovered on the back of his head which caused him to be transported to Kosair later that day.
Doctors inserted a PIC line into Dallas’ skull, allowing prolonged IV access, but this IV turned out to be the start of many issues. That PIC line was believed to be the source of the MRSA that Dallas contracted by the end of the 1st month in the NICU. He also suffered from pneumonia and retinopathy of prematurity which causes retinal detachment. He was diagnosed with apnea of prematurity where he experienced bradycardiac episodes of breath cessation for 20 seconds or more. Dallas often underwent blood transfusions to lower his bilirubin score and to treat jaundice. He was born with a heart murmur and diagnosed with chronic lung disease due to his underdeveloped lungs at birth requiring reliance on breathing machines which cause their own damage to the lungs. Dallas' most pressing issue was that he wasn’t growing. But by the end of 2019, he had finally grown large enough (2lbs) to receive treatment via cardiac catheterization and Dallas’ health improved seemingly overnight.
After several surgeries, several ups and downs, and 5 long months in the NICU, Dallas was finally able to come home. Once home, Dallas’ health really took off and soon he no longer needed to follow up with his cardiologist, ophthalmologist, neonatologist, dieticians, urologist, or surgeon. Dallas’ NICU journey was quite the rollercoaster for everyone involved, but he is truly a miracle to have overcome so much and to stand here today all smiles!
