Evangeline “Evie” Statler was born at 23 weeks in March and weighed only 14 pounds".Photo:BJC HealthCare
BJC HealthCare
In March, Evangeline “Evie” Statler was born 16 weeks early, weighing only 14 oz., according to a news release from BJC HealthCare, which iscomprised of 14 hospitals, including St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where Evie was treated.
“It all happened so fast,” said Evie’s father, Dylan told NBC affiliateKSDKabout the ordeal.
Evie Statler was born prematurely in March 2023.Courtesy of The Statler Family
Courtesy of The Statler Family
In July, on what would’ve been her due date, Evie was transferred from a hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for more advanced treatment.
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“There’ve been a lot of advances in neonatology in the last several years,” Dr. Melissa Riley, a neontologist who treated Evie, said in a statement. “Particularly in large academic institutions like ours, we have the ability to look at where evidence is and how to best treat this patient population, so that we can kind of push the limits of viability.”
Evangeline “Evie” Statler was born at 23 weeks in March 2023 and weighed only 14 pounds.Courtesy of The Statler Family
For the next months, Dylan and Madison juggled raising their son at home and visiting Evie at the NICU.
“It was a rollercoaster,” Dylan toldSt. Louis Mag. “There’d be good news, then two steps backwards with bad news, and then three steps forward.”
Fortunately, due to her treatment, Evie’s health has now made “almost a complete 180,” Maddie’s mom told the hospital. And on Monday, Evie was discharged from the hospital.
“It feels like we can breathe again. A lot of days it felt like we were holding our breath underwater and couldn’t come up for air,” she said.
Madison Hickey (L) and Dylan Statler with their newborn daughter Evie.BJC HealthCare
While there are still challenges for the family surrounding their newborn’s health, Madison said that “the nurses and whole team feel like family now and brought light into our darkest days here.”
As for having their daughter home for the holidays, her happy mom called it “the best Christmas gift ever.”
source: people.com
