Kiara

Kamden was born in October 2018 shortly after midnight, the night I turned 24 weeks, weighing only 1lb. He arrived very early due to severe complications of HELLP Syndrome, that made it medically unsafe for me to continue my pregnancy; the only treatment for me, was to deliver him.

Kamden quickly developed a reputation of being a NICU troublemaker, frequently putting up a fight and extubating himself. Throughout his time in the NICU Kamden would battle failure to thrive, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), Intermittent exotropia, retinopathy, feeding difficulty, that was compounded with a tongue tie, reflux, an acute kidney injury and a variety of infections throughout his 8-month NICU journey. 

Though 5 years have passed, and Kamden has done a lot of growing, he still struggles with the effects of his BPD, and has since been diagnosed with asthma, as well as feeding difficulties, slow weight gain, and global developmental delays with hyperkinesis. We continue to work with our GCH providers in Pulmonology, Ophthalmology, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Nephrology and Sleep Medicine.

Kamden loves music and playing with his brother. He is a happy 5-year-old, navigating the complex world of kindergarten, as a kiddo with some special needs. I am excited to serve on our GCH's Family Connection Program as a mom who has had to unexpectedly navigate a NICU journey and look forward to helping other families along theirs.