My Miracle

I will never forget being admitted into Labor and Delivery and being told, "You will be here until your baby is born." My son, Jack, was born 3 months early, weighing 1lb. 13oz. His skin was translucent and his little eyes were fused tightly together. I remember him being so small that the nurses had simply placed a cotton ball over him, instead of a diaper. Two weeks passed before I was able to hold him for the first time. Jack would stay in the Newborn Critical Care Center (NCCC) for 83 days and his father and I would make the trip from our home to the hospital each day for those nearly three months. During the course of his stay, the NCCC became a second home to us. If we were not at home sleeping or at work, we were with Jack. The hospital staff became our family...not only did we depend on them for our son's physical well-being, but we relied on them for emotional care and support, which they gave freely. Now, 2 years later, I have a beautiful, intelligent, healthy son. He is my miracle. But there is no doubt in my mind that my sweet, sweet boy would not be here today if not for the care he received at UNC Children's Hospital. I cannot thank them enough.