Harry

By his dad, David

Our son Harry was not breathing when he was born by emergency c-section. He was blue-gray. He was unresponsive to stimulation. His limbs were flacid. His heart was barely beating. His one-minute APGAR score was 1 out of a possible 10. While his doctors were able to revive him, the NICU at our local hospital did not have the full-time staff he needed. Only a day after he was born, the ambulance rushed him to Children's National.

The doctors at Children's were skilled professionals who gave Harry the best of care, but it was the nurses and staff at the NICU who were our true angels during the most difficult and stressful time of our lives.

They watched over Harry constantly; they provided encouragement and advice; they did the little things that let us know that Harry was in the best hands possible. They also helped us celebrate every small victory on the way to recovery, from urinating to breathing on his own to developing a sucking reflex. After a long 10 days at Children's, Harry came home.

Eight years later, our time at Children's seems like it was a lifetime ago. Harry is a healthy, happy second grader who is full of personality. Whenever we think of Harry's difficult start we look back on the NICU team and know that we were blessed that Harry had the best people possible working to make him better.

Thank you Children's!!