The Novinger Family
At the five month mark of her pregnancy, Mya Novinger met with doctors to prepare for the worst. Doctors warned Mya that her baby girl was going to be born with many complications including monosomy 1p36, Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome, and hydrocephalus. Mya held her faith and gave birth to Malaya on January 22, 2019. Doctors performed […]
The Rausa-Neira Family
Chris Neira and Brittany Rausa reside in Burlington, Iowa, but in the last five months, they’ve spent more time in Iowa City. Their daughter Jenny was born five months ago; three of those months have been spent at the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City. “We’ve made three different stays at the Ronald McDonald House […]
The Gomez Family
Karyna Gomez describes her family as strong, loving, and caring. Even when times get tough, she says they always stay positive and look on the bright side. This type of outlook on life has encouraged the Gomez family as they faced the complicated birth of Kysaura in February of 2019. Kysaura was born with hydrocephalus […]
The Schuldt Family
Harper Schuldt was born in Iowa City at just 25 weeks to first-time parents Chance and Jessi. Residing in Van Wert, Iowa, which is almost 3 hours away from Iowa City, the young couple wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Harper has a long road ahead of her in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit […]
The Conrad Family
Twin sisters Evelyn and Alice Conrad each weighed just 1 pound 2 ounces when they were born 17 weeks early on October 3rd, 2018. Their mother, Rachel, initially went into labor one week earlier, “When I first started going into labor, they told my husband Darin and I that the girls would have a 50% […]
The Mueller Family
Karsey Mueller has spent more time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unity (NICU) than she did being pregnant. “Our daughter Bexley was born pre-mature at 28 weeks, and as of today, we’ve been by her side in the hospital for 39 weeks.” Karsey and her husband Adam reside in Montfort, Wisconsin, about 120 miles away […]
The Sanchez Family
Amelia Sanchez is a typical 6 year old from Burlington, Ontario who loves drawing, eating pizza, and going to dance class every Saturday. Despite being diagnosed with bi-lateral clubfoot, it hasn’t stopped her from being an active kid. However, as doctors were treating Amelia, they became more worried that her feet were untreatable. 200 hundred […]
The Berggren Family
On October 22, 2018 teenager Toby Berggren from Bondurant, Iowa was diagnosed with anorexia and placed in the eating disorder unit at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital (UISFCH). His parents Dan and Karen were ready to be there for Toby with love and support for the entirety of his treatment. With three […]
The Williams Family
One week after Thanksgiving in 2018, Genell Williams of Davenport, Iowa gave birth to her baby boy Jordan at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Jordan was born with under developed lungs and was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to help assist with his breathing. Everything happened so fast for […]
The Schuett Family
Having a specific due date for a newborn allows parents to prepare for baby’s arrival, organize work schedules and plan the best route to the hospital. When the baby arrives earlier than expected, all those plans are scratched. Katie and Dustin Schuett gave birth to their son 10 weeks early and weren’t certain how long […]
