NICU parents grateful for the difference local support makes at Beacon Children’s Hospital
Beacon Children’s NICU team with Adelaide and her parents.
In the middle of the night, Ashley Croninger roused her husband, McCaylen, gripped by the inexplicable sense that something was terribly wrong. The couple rushed to their local hospital, hearts pounding, to learn that at just 26 weeks pregnant, Ashley’s placenta had detached from her uterus.
Their unborn child’s life was in danger.
They were swiftly transferred to Beacon Children’s Hospital, where the world-renowned Level III NICU offers advanced care for babies born prematurely or with a critical illness.
Little did they know this is where they would spend the next 131 days. Their daughter, Adelaide, nicknamed “Lady,” arrived prematurely on April 19, weighing 2 pounds, 3 ounces at 27 weeks and one day gestation.
“These last four months were filled with moments of fear and uncertainty, but also with immense hope and gratitude for the care we received and the relationships we built,” McCaylen said. “Lady’s journey has included oxygen support, a helicopter ride to Riley’s, a heart procedure and many other milestones that she had to face and conquered.”
Adelaide’s room in the Beacon Children’s NICU.
During their time at Beacon Children’s, they saw firsthand how vital resources and equipment are in providing care for fragile little ones in the NICU — from incubators to ventilators, to the highly skilled nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and occupational therapists, to the lactation consultants and even the front desk reception associates.
All of these resources and people were critical to her care, McCaylen said. And with a toddler, the family felt so relieved to be only an hour from home; other options were hours away.
There was also one more component that the Croningers believed made all the difference: their NICU environment.
“We were given the opportunity to make our daughter’s hospital room a home and make it our home. We decorated it with lights, photos from home and unicorns — unicorns everywhere,” McCaylen said. “From silent alarms to custom room lighting, to a workspace for a ‘work from home’ dad, to a separate living space for mom and dad — it made all the difference in the world.”
This week, Adelaide went home.
Now weighing 10 pounds and 7 ounces, she has enjoyed snuggling with her mom and dad and watching her older brother go down his indoor slide again and again.
Adelaide “Lady” Croninger.
The family was so happy to be asked to share their daughter’s journey on Tuesday night at the Four Winds Invitational Meet the Players event in South Bend.
While McCaylen said he and Ashley had the opportunity to thank the NICU team, the couple also wanted the chance to thank those behind-the-scenes — Four Winds Casinos, the Pokagon Band, sponsors and community members — that support this event, which supports Beacon Children’s Hospital.
Because of all of them, Adelaide is one just one of many success stories.
“From the bottom of my heart, Ashley’s heart and from the thousands of families you have helped save because of your resources, thank you. I can confidently say that what we have at Beacon Children’s Hospital is truly one of a kind,” McCaylen said. “Without your support and the team that surrounded Adelaide, I am fully convinced that I would not have the opportunity to go home tonight and snuggle my little one.”
Click here to support the care and work for incredible kids like Adelaide at Beacon Children’s Hospital.
