Meet a Miracle- Axel

Misti and husband Scott found out they were pregnant with their third child a week after Misti’s thirty-fifth birthday. Her doctor’s office offered the prenatal screenings for “increased maternal age,” and she agreed, never imagining they would ever come back “abnormal.”

At her twenty-week appointment, the family eagerly watched the ultrasound, and without a doubt, it was a boy! Big sisters Aleigh was elated, but Abree cried; she wanted a little sister. With pictures in hand, Misti sent her family home, and there was no reason for them to join her in the tiny exam room for the five-minute check up with the doctor.

Then in that small exam room, her doctor talked about her quad screen and some markers found on the ultrasound. The quad screen came back abnormal, and her baby boy, Axel, had some spots on his kidneys that were indicative of some soft markers associated with Down syndrome. Now the baby went from having a 1 in 350 chance to a 1 in 30 chance of living with Down Syndrome.

At 38 weeks, Misti had an emergency c-section at United Regional. Axel was born with Down Syndrome and spent nearly a week in the Level II special care nursery. Since then, Axel has had several stays at United Regional. As well as living with Downs syndrome, he endures hypotonia, an unfortunate secondary diagnosis. Axel is typically seen at United Regional for respiratory issues.

In total, 19 stays in his short two years. That is nearly one hospital stay for every month Axel has been alive!

“We love the staff at United Regional- we have always been well cared for from the respiratory therapist to the nurses on the pediatric floor. We love them all, and though we never wish to see them because of illness, we always know we are in the best hands at United Regional,” said Misti.

Since birth, Axel has benefited from Children’s Miracle Network, and he will most likely continue to need the specialized equipment and programs CMN provides. From a giraffe bed that provided him the perfect neonatal environment as a baby to the vein finder, activity packs, and playroom, he has used more recently in the pediatric unit.