Carmen Roberts
Sparrow Children's Center
2019 Miracle Child
Carmen's Story (written by her dad, Ken)
It was the early hours on July 2, 2012, in Higgins Lake. Monica woke up to an unusual and concerning feeling with her pregnancy. At just 24 weeks, she was not sure what she was feeling, but knew instinctively she had to get to the hospital. We immediately headed south towards Lansing trying to figure out if we could make it home. North of Clare, the answer was an apparent “no” as Monica was now experiencing significant pain. We urgently stopped at a hospital in Clare and, unfortunately, the hospital was unable to help so we drove to the next nearest hospital in Mount Pleasant. Thankfully, the staff made it clear that we were in good hands. With it being our 24th week of pregnancy, we were extremely concerned for our unborn child wondering what could be happening? Whatever the exact cause, it produced conditions that made it medically necessary to take our developing baby girl by C-section. Monica and I were not even able to hold our baby after she was born. We were so concerned and confused and needed to know what would be next for our newborn? The answer came quickly: Our baby would need to be urgently transferred to a neonatal unit and the nearest and best facility was at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
Our minds were spinning as we had some idea of what it meant to take a baby out of the womb too early. To compound that, our baby girl had to be moved down state and we were unsure if she would survive the trip to Lansing. We didn’t know about Sparrow’s neonatal transport team. However, like angels, Sparrow’s neonatal transport team swooped in and collected our daughter with skill and compassion and took her to her new home at Sparrow.
While baby and I were whisked away to Lansing, Monica had to stay behind in Mt Pleasant. It was a painful 24 hours for Monica to be separated from our newborn daughter, especially when her future was so uncertain. The next 122 days would prove to be a fight for survival and a test of Carmen’s strength. Born at a weight of just 1 pound 8 ounces, approximately 3 months early, the odds were not in her favor. She was underdeveloped to the extent we could not even touch her--because a simple loving touch could have hurt her translucent skin. She was not supposed to be in the outside world, her body should have been growing in her mother’s womb where she was protected. Carmen was now outside in our world, and without all of the defenses and protections we are supposed to have at birth. In the following weeks, it seemed that each day had brought on a different battle. Carmen had been getting infection after infection which can be fatal for a preemie. Thankfully, through the tireless diligence of the RNICU staff they were able to identify the cause and treat it.
In the following weeks and months, more challenges arose for Carmen but with the aid of her RNICU family, she was able to overcome them. Our daughter was finally hitting the major preemie milestones to the satisfaction of her doctors and RNICU staff. And after 122 days, our sweet Carmen was finally ready to go home. Six years later, Carmen is now thriving and in kindergarten. We are forever grateful to Sparrow and the exceptional caregivers in RNICU. Our Carmen is a fighter and she is our Miracle!
It was the early hours on July 2, 2012, in Higgins Lake. Monica woke up to an unusual and concerning feeling with her pregnancy. At just 24 weeks, she was not sure what she was feeling, but knew instinctively she had to get to the hospital. We immediately headed south towards Lansing trying to figure out if we could make it home. North of Clare, the answer was an apparent “no” as Monica was now experiencing significant pain. We urgently stopped at a hospital in Clare and, unfortunately, the hospital was unable to help so we drove to the next nearest hospital in Mount Pleasant. Thankfully, the staff made it clear that we were in good hands. With it being our 24th week of pregnancy, we were extremely concerned for our unborn child wondering what could be happening? Whatever the exact cause, it produced conditions that made it medically necessary to take our developing baby girl by C-section. Monica and I were not even able to hold our baby after she was born. We were so concerned and confused and needed to know what would be next for our newborn? The answer came quickly: Our baby would need to be urgently transferred to a neonatal unit and the nearest and best facility was at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
Our minds were spinning as we had some idea of what it meant to take a baby out of the womb too early. To compound that, our baby girl had to be moved down state and we were unsure if she would survive the trip to Lansing. We didn’t know about Sparrow’s neonatal transport team. However, like angels, Sparrow’s neonatal transport team swooped in and collected our daughter with skill and compassion and took her to her new home at Sparrow.
While baby and I were whisked away to Lansing, Monica had to stay behind in Mt Pleasant. It was a painful 24 hours for Monica to be separated from our newborn daughter, especially when her future was so uncertain. The next 122 days would prove to be a fight for survival and a test of Carmen’s strength. Born at a weight of just 1 pound 8 ounces, approximately 3 months early, the odds were not in her favor. She was underdeveloped to the extent we could not even touch her--because a simple loving touch could have hurt her translucent skin. She was not supposed to be in the outside world, her body should have been growing in her mother’s womb where she was protected. Carmen was now outside in our world, and without all of the defenses and protections we are supposed to have at birth. In the following weeks, it seemed that each day had brought on a different battle. Carmen had been getting infection after infection which can be fatal for a preemie. Thankfully, through the tireless diligence of the RNICU staff they were able to identify the cause and treat it.
In the following weeks and months, more challenges arose for Carmen but with the aid of her RNICU family, she was able to overcome them. Our daughter was finally hitting the major preemie milestones to the satisfaction of her doctors and RNICU staff. And after 122 days, our sweet Carmen was finally ready to go home. Six years later, Carmen is now thriving and in kindergarten. We are forever grateful to Sparrow and the exceptional caregivers in RNICU. Our Carmen is a fighter and she is our Miracle!