My daughter, Amelia, was born three months prematurely, and weighed only 1 pound 11 ounces. She was in the NICU for 125 days. It was tortuous, exhausting and scary. My husband and I were simply in survival mode for those four months. We totally relied on our faith to get us through. People surrounded us with prayer. I learned that the power of prayer is remarkable--there was a feeling of peace and calm that I can’t describe. I felt like the Lord was there with us throughout the entire ordeal. Remarkably, and by the grace of God, Amelia survived and is now a thriving four-year-old running around at preschool. When she was in the hospital, the doctors said she may have some cognitive and developmental issues, but she has not had any. She’s just small for her age. The last of her physical reminders, a feeding tube, was removed in August. It is amazing to reflect on how we were taken care of during all this. One of the most helpful things was the Ronald McDonald House family room located inside of Riley Hospital. A lot of people may be familiar with the free-standing Ronald McDonald Houses in certain cities but there are also family rooms located inside some hospitals which serve as a rest area for family members of NICU patients. Those family rooms have hot meals and coffee, and give parents a place to take a break from the stress. While we were going through our trial, we were actually served a Thanksgiving meal in that family room. I wanted to give… Read More
