LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Paducah-area family is celebrating what they’re calling a Thanksgiving miracle after bringing home their baby boy, who was born four months early and spent 127 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at Norton Children’s Hospital.
Charles and Samantha Rockwell say their son, Draven, arrived much sooner than expected. Samantha had just finished a 15-hour workday when she started experiencing stomach pains. Within two hours of arriving at the hospital, she delivered the baby at 24 weeks and two days gestation.
A Paducah-area family got to bring home their baby boy who was born four months early and spent 127 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at Norton Children’s Hospital. (Submitted photo)
Draven weighed just 1 pound, 13 ounces at birth and required immediate support with breathing, nutrition and umbilical lines. For the next several months, his dad traveled back and forth from Paducah to Louisville, relying on support from hospital staff and the Ronald McDonald House as his son fought to grow stronger.
Nurses describe Draven as “extremely premature” but say he made steady progress with his respiratory status, feeding and weight gain. This week, he tipped the scales at more than 9 pounds, marking a major milestone for a baby who entered the world so early.
To celebrate his discharge, staff dressed Draven in a miniature cap and gown and presented him with a “NICU Grad” certificate — a surprise gift from one of the nurses who had grown close to the family. Medical workers then lined the halls to give him a cheering sendoff as he left the unit for the final time.
The Rockwells also received a handmade sign from staff that read, “After 127 days… this turkey is trotting home.”
Draven’s parents say the journey has been difficult, especially with the nearly four-hour drive between Paducah and Louisville. Samantha spent much of the final month alone in Louisville while Charles returned to work. Still, they say the support from nurses and volunteers kept them going.
“I think I’m going to be very thankful,” Samantha said. “This is the best gift we could have gotten — probably the best Thanksgiving.”
Norton Children’s officials say Draven will continue follow-up care in clinics closer to his hometown, but his medical team believes he is ready to thrive at home.
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