A mom’s intuition is nothing to second guess.  When you get that feeling, act on it…it may save your child’s life!

Here is the story of Wendy and Rich Smith and their amazing little fighter, Allison.  Wendy will share, in her own words, what happened to their family and how important donations are for so many families.

In the emergency department at Children’s, Allison’s condition worsened.  In her weakened state, our baby didn’t even cry as care team members examined her and drew blood for testing. Quickly, she was moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The doctors and nurses fought nonstop to keep Allison alive, yet for 48 hours, she got sicker and sicker. Then she experienced multi-organ failure.

Throughout this nightmare, all the staff members were so kind and informative to Rich and me.  We know now that donations help ensure that care teams have enough resources so they can always focus on being supportive to patients and their families.  We felt their compassion as they prepared us for the unthinkable: our little girl might die.

Tests confirmed that Allison had Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome, caused by common strep throat bacteria. The infection raged throughout her tiny body.   Her only option to help her fight were a heart-lung bypass machine combined with an advanced treatment called plasmapheresis to purify her blood. Due to the infection, her entire body ballooned up, her eyes swelled shut, and her skin blistered all over.

For two weeks, Allison’s fate was unknown. At times, we felt certain we’d lose her.  But amazingly, thanks to the cutting-edge medical technology and world-class care offered at Children’s, Allison’s condition improved.

She  spent three weeks in the NICU and another week in the Medical Unit. We were overjoyed on the day we finally took our little girl home.

Allison has faced many challenges since then.  For a few years after her ordeal, she had seizures, and we returned to Children’s for her care.  Thankfully, she hasn’t had a seizure in more than a year.

Allison’s bills totaled nearly $500,000. When we learned that our medical insurance would cover it all, we couldn’t believe our good fortune.  Then we thought about other families at Children’s whose children were terribly sick and who must be receiving similar bills.  What about these families who didn’t have such comprehensive insurance plans?

Fortunately, Seattle Children’s has always opened its doors to all children in our region who need medical care — regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Children’s can do this because of faithful support from the community, from people like you.  This means that parents whose kids are at Children’s can focus 100 percent of their energy and attention on their sick child, rather than worrying about piles of medical bills they can never pay off .  We know from experience that this peace of mind is priceless.

What an amazing fight Allison won…she truly is a fighter.  I know how much their story touched me when I read it.  It made me completely aware of following our instincts no matter what.  How many times do we second guess ourselves?  I think when it comes to our kids, we are so focused and know exactly what to do.

Thank you Wendy and Rich for sharing your story with all of us.

As a Miracle Mom I have pledged to raise $1,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Miracle Network.   Please consider donating what you can.  Every dollar counts and know you are helping a child receive the best care possible.

Thank you for your donation!

Disclosure:  I am participating in the #MiracleMoms campaign and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.