I received the most beautiful Mother's Day statement from a client yesterday. Thank you.
"Dominic's due date was 3/9/10, instead he arrived when I was 25 weeks pregnant a whole 16 weeks premature on 11/27/09 weighing in at a whopping 790 grams and 14". Unfortunately His twin brother Christian didn't survive our traumatic birth. I gave up total control to his doctors to do whatever necessary interventions to sustain life and prayed to GOD for the strength we would both survive the journey ahead. I didn't care what condition he would be in when he was given back to me, so long as one day, I could bring my son home.
After spending 5 1/2 months in the Dayton Children's Neonatal ICU, almost 6months old in this photo and barely 4lbs. He was given to me. Allowed to "fly solo".
Preemie clothes still baggy so we photographed him naked in a NB sized diapers. He is one of the few that have come through such a rough start with a lot of bumps, bruises, near death experiences, and flat lined resuscitation and plenty of Battle Scars from brain surgery from 2 strokes at birth but relatively, cognitively "unscathed". A true medical incredible miracle story that were told in articles in their medical journals of treatments they tried, protocols they made up along the way that worked to save the micro-preemies that came into this world after him.
I share these photos of us taken a few weeks after finally brought him home, on this Mother's Day because it was when I finally was able to feel like a "Mother" I didn't have to ask permission to touch or to hold or feed him, instincts took over and he was all mine. Dan Cleary captured my joy in these photos that are true artwork displayed proudly in my home and hangs on the walls & offices of each member of his incredible medical team at Children's hospital that there that against all odds and statistics, for extreme immaturity."
Happy Mother's Day.
