Daniel came into this world at just over 27 weeks’ gestation. Adriana went into labor and was quickly rushed from Santa Maria to the UCLA Medical Center. At just over a pound at birth, he needed to be fed through a nasogastric (NG) tube, his lungs were underdeveloped, and his right foot was pointing off to the side.
We received Daniel’s first referral from the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, and then from a Social Worker at UCLA. Both were looking for ways to help this family.
Once released from the hospital, Adriana began commuting from Santa Maria to Los Angeles a few times per week to see her premature baby and leave pumped breast milk at the hospital. The gas to make those trips was expensive and she would spend the whole day at the hospital before driving back that same night. To make things worse, she also had a one-year old son at home who very much needed his mom.
After 3 weeks at UCLA, Daniel was transferred to Cottage Hospital, making it a much easier commute, but still an hour of travel time. Gas prices had shot up tremendously and, while at Cottage, Daniel became anemic and received a blood transfusion. At the same time, he learned how to suck on a bottle and started to grow and thrive. The doctors continued to work with his foot and avoided surgery. After three weeks at Cottage Hospital, he was transferred to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.
During this time, Hearts Aligned provided much needed gas cards to make the trip to UCLA and provided rental assistance as Adriana was got back on her feet. After eight weeks, in three different hospitals, Daniel went home, was reunited with his family, and was able to meet big brother for the first time!
Adriana expressed how unprepared she was for this event, having gone into labor so early in her pregnancy. Worrying about Daniel and her other son, took an emotional toll on her and she felt a lot of stress about life, money, and her family.
When Hearts Aligned stepped in to help, Adriana says,
“I felt blessed during this most difficult time.”
Daniel and his family are one of the many reasons we are out in the community helping critically ill children and their families.
You can support families like Daniel’s by donating HERE today.
