08 November 2010

sweet eli...



Eli and his lovie duck those first few weeks

You all have heard me speak a little of what it is I do everyday I go to work. Basically, everyday is different because every baby is very different even at 700 grams. I feel so blessed to have found my calling as a neonatal nurse. It is a far from glamorous career, but very rewarding. I don't think I could walk out the door and be gone from Ethan so long if I didn't love my job.

My close family and friends knew I recently had a primary patient I cared for over 5 months, Eli. A "primary" as we call it, is when you follow a patient until discharge and care for that baby every day you work. I am not sure what calls me to primary certain patients and not others. It is almost like a bond you have when you first meet them. Eli's blond hair simply reminded me of Ethan, then I met his family and found them to be wonderful. In the NICU, we know what general paths lay ahead for our patients. I knew Eli's road would be very, bumpy and long. Little did I know the mountains and valleys that little man would climb and fall into. Eli was lesson in faith every time I walked in the door at work. I can honestly say, I have never worked so hard day after day, week after week as I did with him. I have come to realize pediatric nurses hold their own children a little longer and tighter after rough shifts. As nurse, my head was telling me of the challenges he faced. As a new mommy my heart was pleading with God to push him through to the next shift, next day, next week, and sometimes....the next hour. Then something happened. Eli decided it was time to catch up with his twin Issac. Eli was born at half the birth weight of Issac and had been the sicker of the two. Eli, who had been on a high frequency ventilator for months, pulled out his tube that connected him to the vent himself. One of his other primary nurses pleaded with doctors to let him "try" to stay off the vent with the help of something less invasive. He did. His progress over the two weeks was amazing. Soon, the little boy whose outcome was once described as "the sickest patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center" was going home after 5 1/2 months at Vanderbilt. Eli has become our success story. When things look dim for a patient, I always will remember Eli's story and the odds he overcame. That amazing family of Eli's I mentioned, I am certain their prayers are what healed him. Medicine can only do so much.


Eli before getting his g-tube


My absolute favorite part of my job is not watching babies go home. It is reaching into the incubator and handing a tiny baby to his mommy for the very first time. Our mommy's wait a long time to be able to do something as simple as hold their baby. I was able to hand Eli to his mom for the first time. Eli was recently in the hospital getting a g-tube (feeding tube) placed to help him with his feedings. I was able to see how much he and his brother have grown and thrived while at home. Now, they are home and looking forward to their first Christmas. Amazing---just amazing. Thank you Bekah and Chris for letting me share Eli's story of faith and hope. You can check Issac and Eli's blog by clicking on "Gannon Gang" under my daily reads on the right side of my blog or go to: http://thegannongang.blogspot.com
Eli at 9 Months
Eli (left) and Isaac (right)

1 comments:

The Gannons said...

Scarlett, thank you for writing this beautiful post about Eli and the work that you do everyday. Would it be ok if I shared it on my blog? I just want to brag about how great you are and how thankful we are for you, if that's ok...? :)