Giving Tuesday Spotlight: Emery Thompson

No one plans to have their baby admitted to the NICU, you just need it when you need it.

Colin and Kendra Thompson were like any young couple—full of energy, and with a passion for life, their family, and outdoors. Kendra’s family lives locally and Colin’s family lives in Sioux Falls. Kendra had an uneventful pregnancy until she developed pneumonia and parainfluenza while pregnant with their first child Emery. Complications from both sicknesses caused Kendra to go into labor at only 32 weeks. Baby Emery was born eight weeks premature and needed to stay in the Monument Health Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for four weeks.  Emery needed close monitoring and to learn to breathe on her own, grow, and eat.

For four weeks, Kendra, Colin and their immediate family would take turns staying by Emery in the NICU.  Kendra recalls, “I cannot explain how it feels to leave the hospital as a parent and leave your baby behind.” Nobody plans for their baby to be admitted to the NICU when they get pregnant.  You just need it, immediately. She took solace in medical providers that she describes as: “very skilled, very comforting, and wonderful in every way.”

“Since we were near home, Colin could continue to work during the day and visit our daughter in the morning and evenings, and I was able to spend the whole day by her side”–Kendra Thompson

“Colin and I felt very fortunate to have the advanced NICU services available at Monument Health, in our hometown, near family, and near work. Since we were near home, Colin could continue to work during the day and visit our daughter in the morning and evenings, and I was able to spend the whole day by her side,” said Kendra. After a month, Emery had progressed and was able to go home. She continues to be very happy and healthy and is now a big sister.

Fifteen months after Emery graduated from the NICU, Kendra and Colin found out they were expecting their second child.  Due to complications with Kendra’s first pregnancy, she was monitored closely during this pregnancy. At 33 weeks, Kendra went into labor with Caden. He too needed to go immediately to the NICU so he could also grow, eat, and breathe on his own.  Once again, the Thompsons found themselves staying in the NICU for another three weeks, but this time they also had a toddler at home to balance their time with. “After thinking about it further, we are so fortunate to have the NICU at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital. We would have needed to split our family up with five hours travel time to another hospital if we could not have received care here locally,” said Kendra.

Monument Health Children’s is able to support this high level of care and advanced technology with the help from Children’s Miracle Network donors and other local donors like you.  Please consider supporting families like the Thompsons today by donating during our Giving Tuesday campaign.  Having a level-3 NICU as well as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), is very important to keep families local, near family, friends, work, and their support system.  Monument Health Children’s helps hundreds of families stay local rather than having to travel five hours to the next level-3 NICU or PICU hospital.  Your support today, and on Giving Tuesday, keeps families and children 18 years or younger, local when they need advanced medical care.

Today, Caden is a happy and healthy 11-month-old young boy with Emery as his active and watchful two-year-old sister.  The Thompsons are very thankful for the support they received from all their caregivers at Monument Health Children’s and stress how important having and supporting local children’s services are to all families—young and old, grandmas and grandpas, and people from all walks of life.  You do not plan to need NICU or PICU services for your family, it just happens.  Click below to support all our young patients under 18 years old in the Black Hills region today.

Support patients and families like the Thompson’s today at www.monument.health/givingtuesday.