Baby Hunter was born 7 weeks premature and barely weighed 2 kilograms.
During his first five minutes of life, Hunter was surrounded by a pediatric team trying
to get him to take his first breath. He was then rushed
to the prenatal ICU. He was hooked up to a CPAP
machine (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) that helped
him breathe. He would stay in the NICU for over three
months.
Have you heard of sleep apnea? Breathing is
interrupted and can even momentarily stop. With a
healthy adult, this is one thing, but imagine the impact
this condition has on a newborn.
This was only one of the battles my first child, Hunter,
had to face in his first moments of life. And I was about
to learn it was just a symptom of something more.
“My baby couldn’t breathe on his own.”
Hunter was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Sequence
and unilateral microtia of the right ear. This meant
Hunter was born with a small lower jaw; a tongue further back than normal; and his
airways were obstructed. It meant he would need numerous surgeries, including a
highly invasive “jaw distraction” procedure. He would need a CPAP machine in order to
breathe.
“All I wanted was to take my baby home.”
There I was, trying to process all of this information, trying to understand it, when
all I wanted was to take my baby home, hold him and be his mom, but I was devastated
to hear what came next.
Needing the CPAP machine, Hunter would not be able to come home. He still weighed
less than ten kilograms, and there are risks with babies who are simply not big enough
or strong enough, so they need to be kept in the
hospital.
Your support is needed
I went from devastation to joy. Thanks to The Lung
Association and thanks to caring friends like you who
support their work, we were able to access highly
specialized equipment that meant Hunter could use a
CPAP machine at home! At last, we’d have our baby at
home with us!
Hunter still has issues breathing, but every day he
grows stronger. Today, at just over two years old,
Hunter only needs his CPAP machine when sleeping.
Otherwise, he is breathing on his own!
I cannot thank you enough. It is generous friends like
you who make The Lung Association the amazing
organization it is. With the gifts you give, they are able
to help families acquire specialized equipment like the CPAP machine that Hunter uses
at home.
When I was asked to share my story with The Lung Association’s supporters, it was such
a privilege. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Please keep supporting this
life saving organization so together, we can help other children like Hunter.