171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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August 2008
Life Lives in the NICU
When Ashley and Jon Morrill first heard their newborn's cry, he "sounded like a kitten," says Ashley.
Born two months early, his lungs were not yet fully developed.
The morning after his birth, little Brody had a lot of trouble breathing. He was hand-ventilated, recalls his mom, and rushed to the NICU.
"That's where my journey began," says Ashley.
Within 24 hours of his birth, Brody developed an E-coli infection and meningitis. He was in the NICU for three weeks.
Drew Graham was the nurse assigned to the sick baby. "He's in bad shape, but we're going to do everything we can," Ashley remembers him saying.
"He just had this look in his eyes; I trusted him," says Ashley. "He was there from day one; if he wasn't assigned Brody, he would come over and check on us," she says.
Graham would stop by and remind her to eat, remind her of the importance of taking care of herself, too.
"It was a hard time, but Drew knew what to do, and was very good with me. The nurses see what you're going through, and they give you hope," says Ashley.
At her baby's bedside from morning till night, Ashley - who is a research coordinator in the MUSC Clinical Neurosciences division - and Jon relied on that kind of support. "You feel like everything is moving in slow motion - the beeping of machines echoes in your head, everything hits you fast and you don't know what questions to ask.
"This was probably the worst case scenario a baby can go through," she remembers. "They told me in the NICU to prepare myself, that he might not make it 24 hours."
She and Jon sat in on rounds. "I remember one doctor turned to us and told us Brody's case was one of the worse they'd seen in a long time."
On bad days, Ashley and Jon would draw hope from the famous wall in the hallway outside the NICU, which is covered with photos of babies and children, and notes from grateful parents.
"That really helped us - reading those letters and seeing photos of the babies alongside photos of them grown. Babies tinier than Brody, and more premature - we could see their 'before' and 'after' photos. To know those babies survived and to read those stories was very encouraging."
Like those fortunate babies, Brody improved and was moved to the Special Care nursery, and finally went home.
But a month later he was once again admitted to the MUSC Children's Hospital.
The meningitis had led to brain bleeds, which had caused hydrocephalus, or fluid on the brain. Brody underwent three brain surgeries in two months.
Graham continued to check on the tiny patient.
"Even with Brody in a different unit, Drew stopped by to see how he was doing," says Ashley.
Her parents were also a huge support during a time when the couple were blindsided by fear and worry. "The staff definitely got to know my dad Rick - he was very vocal, asking lots of questions," she says.
"The overall experience at the Children's Hospital was phenomenal," she notes. "The amount of care from the nurses is unbelievable. You really appreciate all the work the doctors do, but the nurses break it down for you: 'This is what they said, this is what's going on,'" recalls Ashley. "A lot of emotions are going on, and you're really looking for that support system."
Brody is now nine months old, at home and doing fine.
"Our world was turned upside down. We had a lot to juggle. We got through it," says Ashley.
The couple has struggled to get the right people for assistance for Brody, who is a special needs baby, but they are excited to have recently connected with BabyNet, a state agency that helps coordinate services for families of children with developmental delays.
These days, Brody sounds just like a baby, babbling constantly, all smiles.
"He's a talker!" admits his mom. The parents have high hopes that he'll be walking and crawling soon, though they know he'll be developmentally delayed.
"Brody has taught us so much about life. We definitely celebrate the little things - to us, they're huge!" laughs Ashley.
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