109 Days In the NICU

After a cancer diagnosis in 2012, Lauren Carmody and her husband, Chris, were finally given the “OK” by her doctors to start a family in 2014. Soon after, she was pregnant with a baby boy due in May of 2015.

The beginning weeks of Lauren’s pregnancy were picture perfect. But while she was out of town for work in Jacksonville, she went into labor at a little over 23 weeks into her pregnancy. Lauren returned home and was quickly admitted to Orlando Health Winnie Palmer. Five days later, she gave birth to her son, Patrick, at 24 weeks and one day gestation. He was just 1 lb. and 12 oz.

With the odds stacked against him, Patrick was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where he began proving the statistics wrong. After 109 days, he was discharged and allowed to go home with his family. Today, Patrick is full of life, busy, and most importantly, healthy. “Patrick has has done better than we ever imagined for a baby born so early,” expressed mom Lauren in regard to Patrick’s experiences in the NICU.

Patrick and his family love to keep in touch with the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer team they know were such an instrumental part of their journey. Patrick has celebrated every birthday in the NICU thus far, taking a moment to spend time with those who are the reason for his birthday in the first place. The Carmody family knows that without Orlando Health Winnie Palmer and the special doctors and nurses who battled with them, their story may have ended very differently.

“I cannot imagine our lives without them," shared Lauren. "They are truly some of the most extraordinary men and women I have ever met, and they continue to be a special part of our lives."