Faith Reflections
(CON TI N U ED)
“It was really strange—all the things you imagine for pregnancy and birth—it was frightening to see them even though you want to so badly,” Robin says. Birth was just the beginning of the Wahrenbrock micropreemies’ fight for life. Thankfully, Circe Wahrenbrock was released after a 90-day stay at the Saint Luke’s on the Plaza neonatal intensive care unit. Van Wahrenbrock was released after a rollercoaster ride of 213 days in the NICU. Due to the emotional turmoil of their experience, Robin says she and other moms who’ve had NICU babies are now able to relate to families currently at this stage of life. Robin is now a volunteer and board member with Little Warrior Princesses, a nonprofit organization that provides NICU families with transportation and food assistance during their children’s sometimes extended stay at the hospital. The organization was founded by Cassandra and Brandon Dickerson of Olathe, whose twins, Ava and Olivia, were born at 26 weeks and were on micropreemie row at Saint Luke’s during the same time as the Wahrenbrocks. “No parent expects his or her child to be born early, and almost immediately, the family begins incurring lots of unexpected, unbudgeted expenses," Cassandra says. "It’s heartbreaking for me to think of parents worrying about basic necessities at a time when they are worried about whether or not their child is going to live or die.” While NICU families can receive assistance from the Ronald McDonald house, there is limited space, and many families aren’t able to stay close to the hospital the entire time their baby is hospitalized. 32
Lee’s Summit Lifestyle | December 2017