On the day John was born, a nurse gently carried him to the newborn intensive care
unit in her cupped hands – the way you’d carry water. That’s because John wasn’t just
small. At only 15 ounces, he was remarkably small.

There were no guarantees that a child this tiny would survive. But there was hope,
and there was a team of dedicated people giving their all. Soon, everyone who knew
John would learn that he was also simply remarkable.

John’s fight began before he was even born. Desiree, his mom, was admitted to
St.Vincent Women’s Hospital a week before his birth because she was experiencing
high blood pressure and because John had stopped growing in the womb. John was
then born by caesarian section at just 26 weeks gestation. First, the doctors and nurses
worked to intubate John (inserting a tube that allowed him to breathe). Then John
was put on a respirator. And because John was so small, he couldn’t nurse. So he was
fed intravenously through his still-attached umbilical cord.

A series of ups and downs followed. But John continued to make progress. After
three and a half months of hoping, praying, and growing, John came home from the
hospital.