Kamryn’s Journey

Doctors couldn’t promise he’d make it…but today, because of you, Kamryn is a thriving eight-month old.

Kamryn was born way too early. Sixteen weeks too early, to be exact.

Shortly after Jacqueline gave birth on April 4, 2019, Kamryn’s doctor sat down to talk with her. “She told me he might not make it.”

Babies born so very early can have serious health and developmental problems—sometimes lasting throughout their lives. That is, if they survive.

But often, early preemies thrive, grow, and lead healthy, full lives.

Fortunately, Jacqueline and her baby were here, in the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Thanks to your generosity, it’s one of the most advanced NICUs in the nation.

And Kamryn would need the very best care possible just to have a fighting chance.

There were no warning signs

For almost six months, Jacqueline’s pregnancy had been smooth and trouble-free. Then, suddenly, everything went wrong.

At a routine checkup, her doctor saw signs that her baby might come early—her cervix had started dilating— and put her on bed rest. But soon she started cramping. She was sent to a hospital near her home in Westchester for overnight monitoring.

Things moved quickly after that. Jacqueline began having contractions at 4 a.m. that night. Her doctors moved her to YNHCH, where we are equipped to care for extremely premature babies.

Jacqueline gave birth at 24 weeks and 3 days. Kamryn weighed less than two pounds.

“I asked them to do everything in their power for my son. And that’s exactly what they did.”

Jacqueline understood how grave the situation was. If Kamryn survived, there was a good chance he’d face seri­ous problems—respiratory and digestive issues, vision and hearing problems, learning disabilities, even cerebral palsy. A preemie born at 24 weeks may develop any or all of these.

But Jacqueline didn’t dwell on the possible negative outcomes. “I told them, ‘I need you to do everything you can to keep my son alive,’” she says.

Jacqueline was at Kamryn’s side in the NICU for the next 129 days. She was there when a tube was inserted to help him breathe…when he underwent a procedure to fix his heart murmur…when he had a blood transfusion.

And every day, “I thanked Yale New Haven because what they do is amazing.”

Kamryn came home on August 11, and he’s been grow­ing and developing beautifully. By November, he weighed a whopping 17 pounds.

“It really is a miracle,” says Jacqueline, “that babies like Kamryn can survive—and the doctors at YNHCH are making it happen.”

But they couldn’t do it without you.

Thanks to you, miracle babies like Kamryn get to go home every day!

Your gifts to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital help babies like Kamryn, and their families, get through the toughest ordeals of their lives and come out stronger. Your generosity helps fund the latest medical innovations, state-of-the-art facilities, and the best medical practi­tioners in the world.

“Keep on giving, it’s really working!” says Jacqueline. Visit giving@ynhh.org.

Doesn’t that sound like a miracle? Thank you, donors, for helping make it possible!