Mile 78

At 28 weeks, Kandi went into premature labor on February 19, 2023, and Olivia was delivered by emergency Cesarean section. She weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces, and was a tiny 13 inches long. The first week of her life, Olivia battled underdeveloped lungs and a pneumothorax that wasn’t healing properly in their local NICU. Knowing that Olivia needed specialty care, Chris and Kandi made the decision with their doctors to airlift Olivia to Manning Family Children’s.

As soon as we got to Children’s, we were immediately given hope,” Kandi said. “We were told that she was going to grow, her lungs would grow and she was going to be OK. I was still worried but I absolutely felt a sense of relief after meeting the neonatologists. Finally, we were confident Olivia would get the care she needed.”

Olivia stayed in the NICU at Children’s for 200 days. The family prioritized being by Olivia’s side as much as they could while balancing school and work. “It really was a waiting game,” Kandi said. “Our NICU stay was relatively quiet. We were waiting for Olivia’s lungs to grow and catch up to the rest of her body. They were always monitoring vent and oxygen settings. Dr. Knecht and the team took such great care of her.”  However, with the guidance of Dr. Knecht and another neonatologist at Children’s, the couple came to realize just how crucial the trach was for Olivia’s growth and her eventual discharge from the NICU.

Olivia was discharged five weeks after her trach was placed on September 7, 2023. That’s when the family was able to start their lives with their new baby girl at home. More recently, she is only attached to the equipment at night. Olivia receives follow-up care with pulmonologists every three months, and tests will soon determine if she can stop using the vent and move toward a trach removal.