The Cerna Family
The day after being born with pulmonary hypertension, Hector Cerna Jr. was transported from Unity Point Methodist in Des Moines via helicopter to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. Parents Hector Sr. and Alicia traveled to Iowa City followed by car, “It was the scariest time of our lives” said […]
The Haworth Family
Emily Haworth remembers seeing a sonogram of her son Nolan, “My husband Aaron and I gave him the nickname Little Lion because it looked like he had a mane.” After Nolan was born, doctors diagnosed him with choroid plexus papilloma which leads to increased fluid in the brain, causing increased pressure in the head. Doctors […]
The Rasmusson Family
Josh and Kristi Rasmusson knew they had a long road ahead right when their son Nile was born at 27 weeks in Iowa City in March of 2019. The Ankeny, Iowa residents were nearly two hours away from home and with two young daughters Raena and Paige, keeping a sense of normalcy for the kids […]
The Rufer Family
High blood pressure and elevated liver enzymes is the last thing an expecting mother wants to hear from a doctor. Stacey Rufer went into the hospital at 26 weeks pregnant and at 28 weeks, baby Lynzee was born. Doctors were straightforward with Stacey and her husband Andy: if Lynzee wasn’t born soon, both her and […]
The Young Family
Falling in love while abroad in China wasn’t something Andrew and Evelyn Young planned for back in 2013. Evelyn, a native of Brazil, was studying in Northeast China when she met an American named Andrew who was there on business. Three years later the couple married and in 2018 they became pregnant with their first […]
The Wessley Family
Early in her pregnancy doctors realized Teri Wessley wasn’t gaining the proper amount of weight. While Teri wasn’t admitted into the hospital, she had to pay close attention for any complications that might arise. At the 30 week mark of her pregnancy, she began to go into pre-term labor while shopping at a local hardware […]
The Jensen Family
Drexton Jensen was born two months early in Waterloo to Zack and Jocelyn Jensen via emergency c-section. Drexton had intestinal blockage at birth and required surgery at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The couple from Cedar Falls have been together for twenty years and relied on each other more than ever to […]
The Mally-Nawaz Family
At week 26 of Sienna Mally-Nawaz’s pregnancy, doctor’s diagnosed her unborn baby with a congenital heart defect which was going to require at least three operations after birth. Already raising two young children, Sienna and her husband Jawad knew this was going to be a long, stressful journey. Sienna gave birth to Eva in October […]
The Swaby-Parks Family
The journey leading up to the birth of Eritrea-Freya Swaby was full of emergencies, bed rest, and a stay at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. First time parents Austin and Tonika went to their doctor in Mason City where Tonika was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix at 19 weeks. To avoid a […]
The Jordan Family
Brian Jordan and Tia Tennant went in for a 20 week ultrasound not expecting anything out of the ordinary. While Tia was getting her ultrasound it was discovered the baby was missing its nasal bone which could be a sign of Down syndrome. Brian and Tia traveled to Iowa City on the recommendation of the […]
