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The McKoy Family

Zoe, 22 months, Newnan, GA
"Zoe Kayla means 'pure and abundant life', and my daughter definitely embodies the meaning of her name. Zoe was born 7 weeks early because I developed HELLP syndrome (a life-threatening complication of preeclampsia). Both Zoe and I were in intensive care units after delivery. I came out of the whole experience physically unscathed, however, Zoe did not.
Due to my high blood pressure and the stress of delivery, Zoe suffered a severe brain bleed. She was first placed on a ventilator and then weaned to the nasal canula. Regulating her breathing was not a problem, but her sucking, swallowing, and breathing coordination was poor. She had a lot of seizures in the NICU, as well as jaundice and anemia which were both treated with blood transfusions. When leaving the NICU, they told us she had a long, hard road ahead of her. She had epilepsy and cerebral palsy, and we were told that her chances of ever walking, talking, and seeing were relatively low. Thankfully, Zoe has proved the experts wrong. She still has seizures, but they are quite manageable and has only a slight delay in speech and some orthopedic issues that are correctible. She gets physical, occupation, speech, and visual therapy every week, and can walk and talk very well considering her original prognosis. We believe that Zoe is truly a miracle!"
 -- Katie, mom of Zoe