Meet Our Mighty Hornet- NEC Survivor Barrett Elliot

 "May 31st Barrett came into the world. For the next 6 days he was kicking tail and taking names. At 3:37am on day 7 we got a phone call that would change our out look on life forever. Tracey Bell, one of the NP on the unit called us and calmly told us that Barrett had developed NEC and we should come on up the the hospital. 

Those next 14 hours were filled with conversations with surgeons, xrays, and watching monitors. Around 7:05pm B began to look modeled and another NP ran into to tell us (while multiple other nurses prepped B for emergency surgery) that his intestines had perforated. We were whisked out of the room while surgeons attempted to save Barrett’s life. The next few days while B healed, surgeons noticed that his stoma was turning black and they decided to go back in to see what was going on. Hat in hand the surgeon left us know that NEC had continued to decay more intestines and the rest was gray.. B was left open with a vac for 3 days to see they would become pink again. We spent those days praying, preparing, questioning, and watching the monitors. 

On day 4 they went back in and everything was pink again! B was left with no ICV, 1/2 large and 1/2 small intestines. The next 5 months were a difficult and delicate balance of central line and gtube feeds and B struggled to gain weight, be NPO but keep suck swallow, failure to thrive, keep healthy liver enzymes and tolerate food. Even after 5 months in the nicu we were prepared to take him home with central line and gtube feeds. 

Barrett proved the “whimpy white boy” stigma wrong as he fought hard and went home with only gtube feeds. Barrett had an amazing team of doctors and nurses who grew to love him and would not have made it as far as he did without them. NOW 9 surgeries and almost 10 years later all that is left are scars. Scars that remind Adam and I just how lucky we are to have such a fighter who is taking the world by storm". ~Marybeth Elliot~