Team Biro walks for Eric II, who was born May 7, 2011 at 27 weeks weighing only 2lbs. Eric spent 71 days in the NICU with a cost of $490,000. It’s hard to believe this miracle man will be 15 years old this May!
We walk for countless friends and family members that have experienced premature births, still births, infertility, and birth defects.
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Eric’s Story
On Saturday, April 30, 2011, my water broke, without warning. I was terrified because I was only 26wks 5 days pregnant. We raced to Hillcrest Hospital, not knowing what would happen next. I received steroid shots to boost our son’s lung development and a dose of Magnesium to prevent Cerebral Palsy. The team at Hillcrest kept me pregnant for another 7 days – under strict bed rest in the hospital.
Eric Dean Biro II was born May 7, 2011 at 27wks 5 days gestation. He weighed only 2lbs 4oz and was 15in long. This was just the beginning of our 71 day roller coaster ride in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
During his first few days of life, Eric was on a ventilator to help him breathe, he received several bilirubin light treatments for his liver as well as antibiotics and other medications to help him survive. He was in a temperature controlled isolette because he was too small to regulate his own body temperature. He also ate all of his tiny meals through a feeding tube – 1 mL at a time.
On day 4 of Eric’s life, I was finally able to hold my little man. That was an amazing feeling!
He spent the next few weeks growing and hitting milestones. He learned to take a bottle and was moved from a ventilator to a c-pap breathing machine. Eventually, he was allowed to sleep in an open crib with very little breathing support.
On June 20th, we were told that Eric could probably come home at the end of the following week – on July 1st. I was ecstatic! It had already been a long six weeks and we were ready to have our family together for the Holiday weekend.
However, all of that changed the next day when we learned that he had come down with a life threatening form of Spinal Meningitis. We learned later that day that it was Late Onset Group B Strep Meningitis. Our son was in critical condition once again and the future of our family was unclear. The doctors and nurses worked vigorously to determine which antibiotics would fight this infection. After two days, we finally received the news that he would pull through. However, our NICU stay was extended by 4 more weeks due to the amount of antibiotics that he needed.
It was a bumpy ride but Eric was finally released on July 17, 2011. He weighed almost 7lbs and was the biggest baby in the NICU.
We are very lucky to have Eric with us today. It’s hard to believe that our little miracle man will be FIFTEEN this May.
March of Dimes is dedicated to bringing people together to tackle America's maternal and infant health crisis—one person, one community, and one step at a time. More than a series of walks, March for Babies is an annual tradition that supports moms and babies every day, every step of the way.
March for Babies connects friends, families, and coworkers to improve the health of families nationwide. Together with March of Dimes, each step forward brings us closer to a healthy future for all.
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