The Story of Nathan - 42 Years Later...

annwats

I graduated from Buffalo General Hospital School of Nursing in June of 1975. It was a 3 year hospital based program that no longer exists. After working night shift in a very small rural hospital as a graduate nurse for 3 months I was hired for my "dream job" in the ICN (Intensive Care Nursery) at Buffalo Children's Hospital in October 1975. I started out on the night shift and then transitioned to days after a few months. I found it a very challenging and difficult job but I absolutely loved it. Caring for these sick little babies was truly my calling.

On March 23, 1976 I was assigned to accompany one of the neonatologists to attend the birth of a 30 week old premature baby in the delivery room. The mother had been sent to Buffalo Children's Hospital from a town about 50 miles away after her water broke unexpectedly a few hours earlier. This decision to send her Children's to deliver turned out to be one of the major saving factors in this premie's outcome. The delivery was uneventful and I was handed a baby boy weighing 3 pounds/ 5 1/2 ounces. His Apgar score was 2/2 and he was in obvious respiratory distress needing immediate attention. The neonalologist assessed him and intubated him and placed him on a ventilator within minutes. As soon as he was stable enough to move he was brought up to the ICN on the 4th floor so other necessary immediate procedures could be performed. An IV umbilical line was placed and he was put under intense warming lights to help control his body temperature. His vital signs were monitored manually every 5 minutes as well as continuously by digital machines.

Several hours later his parents, Bill and Nancy were brought in to see him. Needless to say they were very overwhelmed by everything going on. At that time Nathan was very critical but his vital signs were stable and he was moving all his extremities and trying to cry and we all agreed that he sure seemed to be a little fighter. His parents were very emotional and concerned but they stated that they knew he was getting the best care he could get at that time. Several days passed and he became more stable each day with no major problems or crises. His Mom was discharged from the hospital and they headed the 50 miles home leaving their precious little boy in the caring hands of myself and the rest of the ICN staff.

Unfortunately, the distance and typical winter weather conditions in western New York made daily visits impossible. While they were visiting often in the first days of Nathan's life we had become extremely close and a very trusting relationship was formed between us. I had become his "other mother" and I was thrilled to be trusted by them to care for their son.

Nathan's daily care became fairly routine and he slowly gained weight and continued to fight to overcome "normal" issues of premies (infections, digestive problems, jaundice, apnea, skin breakdown, round the clock suctioning, etc.) At 6 weeks old he underwent his first surgery to remove the most severely damaged portion of his right lung (due to Hyaline Membrane disease.) This was done in hopes that the remaining lung would expand and grow healthy tissue. He had a few rocky days after the surgery but then came around and started to generally improve daily. On days that his parents were unable to visit I would speak with both of them several times every day. When they could visit they were finally able to hold him, even though he was still intubated and his determined personality started to become obvious.

He was gradually and successfully weaned off the ventilator and was discharged to home in the care of his parents on Father's Day in June 1976. Taking care of him at home was very nerve wracking for Bill and Nancy. He was on an apnea monitor and needed very important heart medication administered daily. I had taught both of them how to do this and they were both very intelligent and capable people but they stated they felt totally incompetent to care for their baby with special needs after a whole team of professionals had been caring for him to this point. At this time I became their phone contact and support person, day and night, for any and all problems, questions and concerns that arose in caring for Nathan. This was my choice and my way of helping them take over a job that I had started. I was able to go to their home and visit every few weeks. He was receiving wonderful care at home and was thriving. He was actually becoming a "regular" baby.

At 7 months old he underwent his 2nd surgery to repair his heart defect - a PDA (patent ductus arteriosa.) The surgery was successful however due to his compromised respiratory status he developed respiratory complications and ended up staying in the hospital for 7 weeks. But Nathan rallied and again returned home.

From that point he continued to grow and develop normally, meeting his developmental milestones at a pretty normal pace. He was a happy, cheerful cute kid and we continued our relationship with phone contact and frequent visits. Bill and Nancy adopted 2 more children - Molly and Jonathan. My husband and I were the proud parents of 2 daughters and our families became friends over the years with visits to each others homes where our kids enjoyed playing together. This was extra special for me to be able to watch Nathan grow up and be a normal kid after his "too early" start in the world.

When Nathan was 6 years old our 2nd "medical experience" occurred. One evening Bill and Nancy and their family and me, my husband and my daughters were invited to an impromptu get together at the home of mutual friends. After some play time the kids were fed pizza and then settled into the den to watch a movie. The adults were eating dinner and playing Trivial Pursuit in the dining room. After an hour or so Nathan's sister came to her Mom and said Nathan was moaning and seemed to be not feeling well. Both Nancy and I went to check on him and noted he was quite flushed looking and he complained that his throat and neck hurt. I picked him up and happened to notice that his neck area had crepitus (crackling and popping feeling) under the skin on the left side of his neck and upper chest area. I suspected that he had a spontaneous pneumothorax due to this symptom and his general appearance. Nancy called his pediatrician and I spoke with her. She was advised of my being Nathan's "nurse" for many years. She agreed with my assessment and advised us to call 911 and have Nathan transported to Buffalo Children's Hospital. I rode in the ambulance with him mainly because he wouldn't let go of my hand !! Sure enough, he did have a pneumothorax and after treatment with a chest tube and a stay in the hospital for a week, he was sent home and thankfully never had an episode like that again. I always felt that we were meant to be together that evening.

So Nathan grew up to be an exceptional young man. In college he pursued International Studies and over the years has been all over the world. Most recently he lived in Isreal for several years working as a peace negotiator for the Carter Peace Center based in Atlanta, Georgia and started by President Jimmy Carter. A few years ago he met Kate and they were married. On December 8, 2016, they welcomed their daughter Rosalie Charlotte into the world. They now live in Traveler'd Rest, South Carolina where Kate is a minister working at Furman University in Greenville, SC. Nathan continues doing International Peace work, mostly online, but his main job is being a stay at home Dad for little Rosie.

This summer we were able to get together again after many years of not seeing each other. We've kept in touch with yearly birthday calls on March 23rd, occasional letters and updates from his parents. On July 17th we were invited for dinner at Bill and Nancy's home, a charming cabin in Cherry Creek, NY. This is about an hour away from us. I was so excited to see Nathan and to meet his wife and daughter. My second husband Gary had heard my many stories of Nathan and his family but had not met them yet. What a wonderful and special evening we had !! One I'll remember for many years to come. Hopefully, we'll get to spend more time together over the coming years.

I know Nathan's parents are very proud of him but I also feel a very special place in my heart for Nathan - whose name means "Gift of the Lord."

The Story of Nathan - 42 Years Later...

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