Micah is a happy little boy who can now see the world around him, thanks to specialists at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. After experiencing two losses, at 18 weeks and 21 weeks, Tamlyn and Steve were thrilled to be expecting baby Micah. Tamlyn was put on bedrest as a precaution so was shocked when she went into premature labour again at 24 weeks — four months ahead of schedule. He spent four months in the Foothills Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) intubated and then on 100 percent oxygen, before being transferred to the Edwards Family NICU at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, right around the Thanksgiving weekend and stayed there for just over one month. His parents would soon find out just how thankful they truly were to be there.
In the NICU, Micah was under close watch of neonatal specialists, monitoring his growth, including how his eyes were developing. Pediatric Ophthalmologist Dr. Anna Ells and Dr. Stephanie Dotchin diagnosed him with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) — a disease of the eye affecting prematurely born babies generally having received neonatal intensive care. It’s common in babies who relied on oxygen therapy due to the premature development of their lungs and thought to be caused by disorganized growth of retinal blood vessels which may result in scarring and retinal detachment. If it were to be left untreated, Micah could become blind. His doctors first gave him injections in his eyes to stop the vessels from growing or inflaming, but because Micah was relying on 100 percent oxygen, Dr. Dotchin turned to another solution to treat it for good: Laser therapy. He recovered very well and quickly, and seemingly right away, Tamlyn noticed changes in her little boy. Before the procedure, when Micah looked at his parents, it was like he couldn’t really focus on them. They knew he could hear their voices, but that was it. Tamlyn says she will never forget the day, and the moment, when her baby could see for the first time. “When he looked at me, he smiled. I knew then that he recognized me, and not just by my voice,” says Tamlyn. Today, he is a happy four-year-old who loves looking at the stars and the moon, playing with his cars and dinosaurs.
Words cannot describe how grateful Tamlyn and Steve are for the incredible team of specialists at the Alberta Children’s Hospital who cared for their little boy and cheered him on at each little milestone. To her it was clear, their job is not just a job to them. It’s a passion. She is thankful too for generous donors who give to the hospital, including the Guru Nanak Dev Ji Vision Clinic, to help families like theirs.