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This is Piper’s story. I found out I was pregnant with her at 20 weeks. I was already 3 centimeters dilated. I had to go to the hospital and have a cervical cerclage to prolong my pregnancy. By the time I got to surgery, I was 6 centimeters dilated. At 21 weeks my water broke and I had to stay in the hospital. The NICU team came and talked to me about the dangers of Piper being born so early and the likelihood of her living. They said if she can wait until 24 weeks, she has a chance for survival. On August 14th at 24 weeks and 5 days, my placenta ruptured. That was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. The doctors rushed me back to surgery at 4:10pm and Piper was delivered at 4:20pm. Her Dad, Sean, didn’t find out anything until 6:30pm when I got out of surgery. We found out Piper had to be resuscitated, which caused stage 4 brain bleeding. We finally got to go to the NICU and see her, a whole 1 pound 10 ounces little child. The doctors and NICU nurses were very honest with us and let us know she was a very sick baby and we had to take it day by day. They told us it was all up to Piper if she was to survive. The first week was the hardest. The unknowns and not knowing what to do. Some days were good and others not so much. On top of the stage 4 brain bleeding, she had stage 2 and 3 eye disease and she had a heart murmur due to a defect in her fetal blood circulation system. She had to have several blood transfusions. We finally go to hold her after 4 weeks. It had been a very long 4 weeks. On October 26th Dr. Wi told us that MUSC had a bed open up and that Piper was going to be transported there to have her heart defect corrected. On October 27th we went down to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. The next day we talked to the doctor about her heart surgery and we also spoke to her neurologist. They told us about a reservoir that could be put in her brain and the doctors would use it to drain the spinal fluid that could cause permanent brain damage if not removed. She would have to stay in the hospital in Charleston. We made the decision to have the procedure done because we knew that it would be best and she was in the best hospital possible. We live in Upstate South Carolina, over 200 miles away. We went from seeing her every day to visiting her every other weekend. That was very hard. The Ronald McDonald House was there for us every time we came down. They made sure we were always fed, had everything we needed, and just treated us like family. After 24 weeks and 6 days in the NICU, Piper finally got to come home. The nurses said she might come home on oxygen and a feeding tube, but Piper proved them wrong.

Today, she is 2 years old and 28 pounds! We still go down to Charleston every 6 months for her doctor visits. The Ronald McDonald House is still there for us when we need them! Piper’s medical exams have all come back great!! She no longer has any eye disease. Her eye doctor said that in her 20 years of practice, she had never had a baby that had stage 4 brain bleeding fully recover her sight! Her heart murmur is gone and she no longer sees the cardiologist. Piper is definitely a miracle baby. She is meant to be here. Sean and I are so proud of her and all she has overcome.

Please consider donating through JustGiving to the Ronald McDonald House. The giving is safe, fast and secure. Your personal information is kept confidential by JustGiving-they do not sell the information or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they send your contribution directly to the charity. It is definitely the most efficient way to donate.

And also, don’t forget to celebrate the lives of your kids by getting out into the beautiful natural world we share. Nature continues to play a major part in both Piper’s and my recovery. The same can happen for you and your family! Celebrate the precious gifts we are given and the natural wonders that surround us!!