TV Debut

Today Miss Avery had her TV Debut. Every year the Children's Miracle Network has a telethon to raise money for USA Children's and Women's Hospital. During the telethon they have the local news people at the NICU interviewing nurses, doctors, and parents. They walk around and show the various babies and the equipment that is used to take care of these babies. This is how Miss Avery ended up on TV. While we were visiting today they came and talked to us and of course we got to show off little Miss Avery. Miss Avery's grandma caught her inverview and said Avery was just looking around the whole time. Of course that wasn't the case when I tried to get some pictures...

It was pretty interesting to hear just how much the equipment costs. The monitors which display Miss Avery's good grades, as we call it, costs about $30,000. That is just one of the pieces of equipment used on babies there. As they were going through the costs of equipment I think I roughly calculated Avery had on average $100,000 worth of equipment on her. This includes the isolett, cpap machine, heart monitor machine, etc. Right now she would be using less since she doesn't have the cpap machine any more.

Another one of the statistics we heard today was that 30 years ago 90% of babies under 2 lbs did not survive. Today 96% of babies under 2 lbs do survive. It is astounding to think about how far the knowledge and technology necessary to help a baby like Avery has come and it is comforting to know there are organizations like Children's Miracle Network to help keep this good work going. Children's Miracle Network donates 100% of donations to local hospitals. Around here that hospital is USA Children's and Women's. And I have to say I feel very fortunate to have access to a hospital like USA and even more fortunate that it is so close.