- Born
- 23 weeks, 6 days
- Weight
- 1lbs., 8oz. at birth
- Diagnosis
- Bacterial Meningitis, Intraventricular Hemorrhage, Extremely Low Birth Weight
- Likes
- Music, playing, swimming and gymnastics
During Christmas of 2014, Chicago natives Nicole and Donte found themselves in unexpected early labor with their son Nolan during a family visit to Minnesota. Soon, the festive lights and sounds of the season were replaced with the rasp of a ventilator and the rhythmic beeping of machines. “We were told that survival for babies born at 23 weeks was questionable”, Nicole recalls, “but we were also told that MN Neonatal Physicians had some of the best outcomes in the country for babies born prematurely. We knew that Nolan was getting the best care possible.”
Nolan was born frighteningly early, at a gestational age that many premature babies do not survive, but he persevered. “Our family never would have made it through this journey without the support of the MN Neonatal Physicians care team”, Nicole said. “They were so amazing … they were our eyes when we couldn’t see, our ears when we couldn't hear, and our voices when we were too tired or sad to speak up.”
