Abigail’s Story
Less than a pound. That’s how devastatingly small Ashley and Steve’s daughter, Abigail, was when she was born.
“When she arrived so early, it was not something that was totally unexpected from talking with the doctors beforehand,” Steve says. “But it still kind of came as a shock.”
Abigail’s premature birth, at the end of summer 2019, came with many complications. Her lungs were not well developed, so she needed breathing support from a ventilator, along with gastronomy tube for nutrition. She later had a tracheotomy tube placed to help her breathe.
Now three, Abigail is experiencing some developmental delays but doing remarkably well overall, and her parents could not be more grateful for the ongoing care she receives from Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Today, that involves regular appointments with the hospital’s pulmonary and gastroenterology specialists. Sometimes, her providers even make occasional home visits.
“We feel so fortunate that we’ve been able to receive a lot of support and advisement from the staff at Hasbro Children’s, while also keeping her at home and avoiding recurring hospital admissions,” Ashley says.
The couple is also happy to report that Abigail recently had her tracheotomy tube removed and is now able to breathe on her own and enjoy more freedom of movement overall.
“She’s a sassy toddler,” Ashley says. “Her vocabulary and sounds are improving with therapies.”
Because of Abigail’s history, she is more susceptible to respiratory complications, so the family was concerned when she contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and pneumonia around Thanksgiving of 2022. But the hospital was there for the family once again, and Abigail was able to get the care she needed from doctors and nurses who were already familiar with her medical history.
“After about a week, she was back home and back to her spunky self,” Ashley says.
Abigail will likely need to receive care for years to come, and Ashley and Steve say it’s comforting to have such a high-quality pediatric hospital close to home. They point out the benefits of the hospital’s multidisciplinary approach and teamwork when it comes to serving children with complex medical needs.
“To have so many capable providers so close to home, and to be able to get her the care she needs right away is just such a huge relief and a huge convenience that we don't take for granted,” Steve says.