Kathy Feeley
May 2016
Kathy
Feeley
,
RN
Mother Baby Care
Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak
Royal Oak
,
MI
United States

 

 

 

We had our son at Royal Oak Beaumont. We were so excited to welcome our second baby boy to the family. Having a new baby is always challenging and we prepared for his arrival, however, we couldn't have been prepared for what God had in store for us that day. During our son's first bath, Kathy noticed something irregular and decided to hook him up to a pulse oximeter. Kathy then decided to take our baby to the nursery for further testing.
It wasn't until later when two doctors came into our room that we learned that our son was born with a severe heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He was born with a half developed heart. It is incurable and has to be treated with three open-heart surgeries in the first few years of life. When he was three days old, he had his first open heart surgery. We spent the next five weeks recovering. After a few setbacks and a whole lot of prayers, we were able to bring our baby boy home a couple of days before Christmas. Our whole family owes Kathy a tremendous debt and our deepest gratitude because she recognized the warning signs. It was Kathy who took our son back to the nursery and insisted that he be looked at by a doctor. It was her quick action that saved our son's life. She worked so hard for us when were at our lowest. The way in which Kathy advocated for our son is something we will always remember. We cannot thank Kathy enough for what she has done for our family.