Baby Uriah Fuller

Uriah’s incredible journey as a micro preemie

For new parents, taking your baby home is an exciting conclusion to a long awaited nine months. For Baby Uriah Fuller’s parents, it’s a monumental milestone.

Born at only 23 weeks gestation and weighing only one pound, three ounces, baby Uriah was one of Marian Regional Medical Center’s youngest and most fragile patients.

At five and a half months, the unimaginable happened as Uriah’s mother was admitted to Marian for preterm labor. Knowing that it was still 15 weeks before Uriah’s expected due date, parents Veronica and Joel were terrified of the uncertain outcome and possible developmental challenges their unborn baby faced.

Baby Uriah was born on December 9, 2013, and was immediately taken to Marian’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit for lifesaving neonatal care. As an extreme preterm baby, baby Uriah faced many serious challenges with an underdeveloped neurological system, underdeveloped lungs, eyes fused shut and risk of cognitive dysfunction.

“I’ll never forget the first time I saw him,” remembers Veronica. “He was so tiny – his skin was highly transparent and he had a feeding tube. I was just so happy that he was alive, but it was devastating to see him struggle.”

In all, baby Uriah would need nearly five months of neonatal care before going home, but baby Uriah’s medical caregivers and family stayed by his side, tracking his daily progress and celebrating every large and small developmental milestone. Today his future is bright and he is progressing with every new milestone reached. He is no longer in need of a feeding tube, shows zero signs of neurological damage and is growing stronger with each passing day.

“The physicians and nurses made us part of their family; we felt their genuine love and compassion,” adds Veronica. “We will forever be grateful for everyone at Marian. They gave us our happy beginning.”