GRIFFITH
Ronnie and Bruce Griffith have experienced many obstacles when it comes to the health and well being of their children.  The family includes Parker, three, and Alyssa, and Alexa, one-year-old twins. Parker is a happy and boisterous toddler, but things were not always that way.  During a routine pre-natal office visit with her doctor, Ronnie found out that she was dilated two centimeters at just 24 weeks. She was admitted to the hospital and Parker was born at 28 weeks gestation. He had many problems including bleeding on the brain, cysts in his lungs, and heart problems.  Parker spent two months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. The hospital was over an hour from the Griffith's home, so the trip was exhausting, but Ronnie saw her son everyday. "By the end of the day, I was exhausted. It was an emotional roller-coaster where we took two steps forward, then one back, knowing at any time we could lose our son."  Finally Parker was able to come home for the first time on January 8, 2002.
 When Parker was two, Bruce and Ronnie decided that they wanted to try for a second pregnancy. During Ronnie's twelfth week of pregnancy, the family learned that they were having twins. Later, Ronnie felt that something was not right and she was eventually admitted to Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva. Ronnie was on bed rest for 51 days. On February 9, 2004, Alyssa and Alexa were born at just 30 weeks gestation. Alyssa weighed 2 lb. 8 oz. and her "big" sister weighed 2 lb. 9 oz. The twins did very well considering their early arrival.  The girls were on and off ventilators for the first week, but then were on nasal cannulas. Both girls were breathing on their own.  Alexa went home on March 26 and Alyssa a few days later on March 30, 2004.  Today, all three of the Griffith children are thriving.

JOSPEH
Like all expectant parents, Melissa Carlson-Joseph and James Joseph of Evanston were eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child. The most important wish expectant parents have is for a healthy baby.  But, each year, for thousands of parents, this wish does not come true. The Josephs were one of these families when their son Luca was born on April 27, 2003, by emergency C-section after only 24 weeks gestation He remained in the Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU) at Evanston Northwestern Hospital for three and a half months.  Luca weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. at birth.  Immediately, he faced challenges. Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). Luca was transferred for surgery to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where doctors performed the extremely delicate operation to close the duct.  In a rare circumstance, the first attempt failed.  “We were very close to losing him then,” says James. But the second attempt at surgery was successful, and Luca was transferred back to Evanston. 
The fluid that filled Luca’s lungs because of the PDA was largely responsible for his chronic lung disease, from which he suffered for the next several months.  Until two weeks before leaving the hospital, Luca constantly received respiratory support, including from the oscillating ventilator, a standard ventilator, CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), an oxygen hood, and nasal cannula.  The CPAP requires a tight seal to effectively deliver oxygen into the nasal passages and caused partial erosion of Luca’s nasal septum, which has since regrown.  Luca also suffered from Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).  Luca’s condition progressed to Stage III threshold disease, the last stage before retinal detachment, and was treated with laser surgery on both eyes.  On August 13, 2003, two days after his originally projected due date, Luca went home for the first time.  Two weeks later he stopped breathing for almost a minute, his parents revived him, and he returned to the hospital for five days.  “It was terrifying.” remarks his mother, Melissa.  “When you are in the NICU and this happens it’s one thing, but when you’re at home with no machinery, and no doctors to rush in, you have to rely on your discharge training and your instincts to save your own child.” His apneic episode was in part caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that began shortly before his discharge, and he continued to suffer from the reflux until only recently.  Despite these challenges, today Luca is doing fantastic and his family eagerly anticipates his second birthday.  With an early intervention program, he continues to improve and grow stronger everyday.  “To say that we are lucky seems such an understatement,” says mom.

NOVOSEL
Mike Novosel and Nancy Fendley Novosel of Chicago can attest to the joys that a child can bring. They count their blessings twice because they have twins, Luke and Ryan.  Nancy Fendley Novosel was 23 weeks pregnant and experiencing contractions when she was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  She delivered Luke and Ryan in her second trimester, at just 26 weeks, 3 days gestation. Luke weighed 1 lb. 15 oz. and Ryan 1 lb. 11 oz. and both were 12 inches long. Their hands and forearms were so small that their dad Mike could slip his wedding band over them. Their skin was so translucent that you could see through to their veins.  Luke and Ryan were unable to breathe, eat, or regulate their own body temperature.  The twins were immediately put on life-saving ventilators in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The size of their diapers was comparable to a post-it note.  Nancy reminisced, “I carried that diaper with me for a year after they were born.  It was such a reminder of the fragility of life." The twins both experienced chronic lung problems, feeding issues, jaundice and reflux. In addition, Ryan also experienced more severe issues.  There were several moments where Nancy and Mike thought that they would lose Ryan. At four days old, Ryan coughed up a teaspoon of blood, a large amount considering the size of his body. “I was in my hospital room recovering from my C-section, when the doctor came and told us the news of Ryan’s blood loss.  He told us Ryan might die from this.  Without hesitation, we quickly had the boys baptized in a minute-long ceremony beside their incubators. The next day was one of the worst of our lives, as we waited to see if he would survive.”  Luke and Ryan continued to work past such challenges and did survive after a lengthy stay in the NICU; Luke was released on his due date after three months, and Ryan stayed four months.  "It is a miracle that both of my boys are alive and healthy today.  Hitting every developmental milestone, and passing a few, you would never know of Luke and Ryan’s extremely premature birth.  There is not a day that passes that Mike and I do not meet eyes and without words express our immense gratitude for our many blessings,” beams Nancy.  The Novosels will walk with other Chicago parents as a part of an Organization they formed called Chicago Parents of Preemies.