Real Miracles, Healing Stories
Kalli Hancock—Miracle Baby
INFANT BORN FOUR MONTHS EARLY OVERCOMES AN ARRAY OF HEALTH PROBLEMS
The
term miracle is often used loosely. But in the case of Boise infant, Kalli Hancock,
there's no better word to describe her life.
“Kalli is truly a miracle baby,” says Jennifer Merchant, M.D., a neonatologist at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. “Many premature babies delivered with the medical condition she had do not even survive.”
Born 16 weeks premature, Kalli has faced more health problems and been through more medical procedures than most people face in a lifetime. But at 18 months old, Kalli has overcome most of her medical problems, and it appears that she won't have long-term issues.
UNEXPECTED DELIVERY
Dave and Dotty Hancock refer to their first year of marriage together as a
whirlwind. “We were newly engaged and shortly after found out I was pregnant,” says
Dotty, a Meridian dance studio owner. “So much happened in that time.”
Dotty was entering her sixth month of pregnancy when she started bleeding and having severe cramps. “I was six months to the day pregnant,” Dotty says. “I went to the doctor and they immediately sent me to labor and delivery.”
Doctors at Saint Alphonsus tried to delay labor, but Dotty's water broke. She was rushed into delivery where Kalli was born following an emergency cesarean section. Kalli's premature birth was attributed to an infection in Dotty's uterus.
When she was born, Kalli measured about 12 inches in length and weighed all of 1 pound, 5 ounces. “She was very small. It was shocking,” says Dave, a U.S. Marine stationed in Boise. “Every emotion I could have felt, it just hit me like a ton of bricks.”
AN ARRAY OF PROBLEMS
Being born four months premature left Kalli with a host of medical problems.
She spent four months in the Saint Alphonsus Neonatal Iintensive Care Unit.
Kalli required oxygen to help her breathe with underdeveloped lungs. She
had brain bleeding, a heart abnormality and two hernias. Kalli also could
not see, and she had high blood pressure and developmental problems.
But the most serious problem Kalli faced was her inability to suck in fluids, which prevented her from feeding. She had to be fed with a syringe and a feeding tube.
At about two months, Kalli suffered a rare type of stroke that affected the left side of her face and caused her to lose hearing in her left ear.
But through it all, Dave and Dotty never gave up faith that their baby daughter would pull through and join them at home. “I never really thought about the possibility of her not making it,” Dotty says. “We just knew it was going to be a long journey for her to be healthy enough and big enough to come home.”
HOME AT LAST
During her hospital stay, Kalli made amazing progress. When she was four days
old, she had heart surgery. She also had laser surgery on her eyes and a
double inguinal hernia operation.
And most importantly, she conquered her feeding problems and is now able to eat three meals a day in a normal manner. Dr. Merchant, who treated Kalli during her stay at Saint Alphonsus, gives much of the credit for the infant's remarkable improvements to her parents.
“Her parents are truly exceptional people and are the reason she continues to astound all of us who follow her clinically,” Dr. Merchant says. The Hancocks are quick to return the praise.
“We were very pleased with the care we received at Saint Al's and are thankful every day for their Level III NICU,” Dotty says. Dave says he is thrilled about his daughter's progress and looks forward to just being a dad.
“Right now, it's important just to keep her safe and healthy,” Dave says. “Even though the experience was terrible and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else, I wouldn't trade it. I appreciate having had to go through it and watch the amazing outcome.”