Patient Stories
ALICIA TITUS
NICU Graduate
There are no words to describe what it feels like to watch your premature baby hooked up to leads, monitors and a ventilator day and night. But that’s what Anthony Titus experienced when his wife’s hypertension became so dangerous that his daughter Alicia had to be taken by emergency Caesarian section at 25 weeks. She weighed one pound, eight ounces.
Alicia was immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Baylor. The doctors wanted to make sure Anthony and his wife Tanya were prepared for the worst. They told the couple that Alicia had a 75 percent chance of survival and that if she did survive, there was a strong chance she could end up suffering from any number of chronic diseases. The worst turned out to be the day her breathing stopped, and so did her heart.
Near-death crises can happen at any time in the Baylor NICU, so the medical staff is always on high alert. They quickly revived Alicia. Altogether, she spent 100 days in the NICU. She ended up going home on the very day she was due.
After coming home, Alicia was on oxygen for four months. As she has grown, there have been some complications – there always are with preemies – and she has been carefully monitored by pulmonologists, neurologists and other specialists. But now that Alicia’s four, Anthony says that her doctors are overjoyed with her progress. She’s developed far beyond expectations. To Anthony, it’s simple. She’s a miracle.
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