Our Journey To Parenthood

I wrote our book, Sammie the Salmon,  when I was realizing I had to let go some and let my protected 26 week, 1 lb. 13 oz. sweetie become himself. I say “our book” because it’s a tribute to Sam and the fighter in him.  He doesn’t remember that fight, but his family does.  

I was headed back to work as a special ed teacher, after staying home with our preemie for two years.  The whole experience was rough. But, we have a beautiful son who we cherish everyday. For all he is. 

I made this into a book to give hope to all the families that are currently fighting for their little miracles.  

And. Because Sam deserved a story❤️❤️  To see his smile and him being proud because of it.... beyond words.  He’s our hero!

My journey to pregnancy was a long and stressful path. I suffered multiple early miscarriages beginning at age 32.  We went through all the evasive and painful fertility treatments available.   After finally getting pregnant through IVF, I experienced HELLP Syndrome and was forced to have an emergency C-section at 26 weeks.  Sam was in the NICU in Roanoke, VA for just over 3 months. He turned 13 on June 14th and is doing amazingly well!  

The NICU can be an extremely scary place and the uncertainty of having a child so vulnerable is something that a lot of parents experience! 

After bringing Sam home his dad and I were very afraid for his health and safety. We protected him as much as parents could for his first two years. The fears don’t instantly go away when leaving the NICU.  It takes time to allow ourselves to gain confidence in ourselves as parents of a preemie, and in our little one.  

This book offers a ray of positive hope for other families that experience the NICU and premature birth. Good things can happen and our awesome Sam is proof of it.

He recently went into remission for juvenile arthritis.  He’s a fighter!!