Khloe’s story begins early in my pregnancy when I was told of a possible uterine rupture. Due to my medical history, I was seen by a high-risk Doctor once a month who tracked the lining of my uterus. I never thought it would actually happen. In the middle of the night I was woken by the sharpest, most painful cramp I've ever felt. Shortly after, I woke my husband up and we both realized it wasn't stopping, but getting worse. We immediately drove to triage at The Women's Hospital fearing the worst possible outcome, but praying for a miracle. Arriving at the hospital I felt this urge come over me where I wanted to speed the process along and not waste any time. It must have been an intuition of what was happening or what was about to happen. I immediately told the nurse that my uterus was rupturing. Not wasting anytime, they rushed in an ultrasound machine, checked for heartbeat, and there was one! Relieved, but soon realized my uterus was indeed rupturing as I was laying there that very moment. I can remember the Doctor telling us “we need to deliver the baby now,” giving me all the possibilities of what could happen. The scariest moment of our lives. My husband can remember me saying in a whisper, it's too early. I just assumed I was going to leave still pregnant. The nurses in Triage were so comforting and helped me through all the pain and fearfulness I was having. Nothing could prepare us for the journey ahead. I was immediately rushed to the OR for an emergency C-section. On August 25, 2014 at 2:07 am Khloe decided she couldn't wait any longer, weighing a tiny 3lbs 1.4oz and 15 ¼ long. If it wasn't for the prompt thinking of the nurses and the Doctor on call getting to the OR so fast we wouldn't have made it. We are forever grateful for the Triage team and the Doctor who delivered Khloe. As I was recovering, the nurses in the NICU had already taken a picture of Khloe so she was the ?rst thing I saw when I opened my eyes. The NICU sta? already was going out of their way to show how much they care, and it meant the world to us. It was ?nally time to meet and touch our precious baby. Going through the NICU doors for the ?rst time was a surreal moment. The nurses explained every tube, beep and why wasn't she wearing any cute baby clothes! We had no clue what to expect going through those doors. We had a million questions and they answered them all, even if we asked the same question more than once. They even helped us with our ?rst family photo, still laying in a hospital bed, they seemed to make the situation so relaxed and as uplifting as they could. We had bonds with the nurses and therapist from the beginning which made it so much easier to leave Khloe several times a day knowing she was in the best place and getting the best care possible. Khloe had several milestones in her 72 days in the NICU. The nurses would capture those moments for us if we were not there. One that I'll never forget is “moving day” where she was moved from the Radiant warmer bed to the Isolette bed. It was something that made our day when the days seemed like a roller coaster. There was good and bad days but the nurses would be right there to talk through any concerns we were having and to make us laugh when we so desperately needed it. After a long 72 day stay in the NICU Khloe was ?nally healthy enough to go home. She left without monitors beeping, no wires, no breathing tube and no help from the nurses. It was exciting and overwhelming at the same time. We wouldn’t get through the scary nights ahead without all the nurses educating us along the way. Khloe was seen by her cardiologist within a week of discharge and her PDA is closing and the Doctor has high hopes she will not need surgery. Today Khloe is a happy, healthy and beautiful 2-year-old who loves books, gymnastics, singing and dancing and the color orange. If you didn't know her journey in the beginning of her life you would never know she was a preemie. Without the help from March of Dimes research Khloe may not have had an amazing outcome and living her life like a normal 2-year-old. She is an active and healthy toddler thanks to the wonderful Doctors, nurses and therapists at The Women's Hospital. She is proof Miracles do happen. We will continue to walk and support March of Dimes to show our gratitude to such a great cause that helped give Khloe the best care she needed. We invite you to join our family in supporting the March of Dimes and babies worldwide. Please consider joining us for the 2017 March for Babies on Saturday April 29th at Sunrise Park, Evansville, IN. Join a team or start one for a baby you love at www.marchforbabies.org/event/evansvilleIn Email [email protected] or call Mike Ball at (812) 449-4649.