F A M I L Y
P R O F I L E
Miller Family
HOME: Republic, MO (Greene County)
Andrew Miller was born in February 2020, 6½
weeks before his due date. The doctors and nurses did their best to prepare us, but we were all unsure of what his exact needs would be. With his early arrival also came a NICU stay at Mercy Hospital. While we heard the words and understood them, there really wasn’t any way to prepare for what exactly that meant. He was a 4lb 11oz fighter, ready to take on the world. Thankfully, his lungs and heart were healthy so he was labeled a “feeder grower,” meaning he had to learn how to eat and gain weight. Our 25 days in the NICU brought a rollercoaster of emotions; it seemed like every step forward came with two steps back. To top it all off, Andy was in the NICU as COVID-19 entered the United States, bringing even more fear and uncertainty to our stressful situation. Our family would have been truly lost without the generosity of the Ronald McDonald House at Mercy Kids. They immediately welcomed us with open arms. They provided a private place to rest and shower, laundry facilities, and hot meals (plus all the coffee!) each day. Most importantly, they provided a sanctuary allowing our family to have a few moments of normalcy each day in an otherwise very abnormal season of life. The Family Care Managers and volunteers would check in with us daily to make sure all our needs were being met so we could devote all our energy to Andy and the NICU. As the pandemic progressed, they went above and beyond to ensure that our family was safe and protected and again, allowed us to focus all our worries on Andy. We are forever grateful for the comfort, love, security and sense of family they provided to us during such an uncertain time.
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