The Stowe’s Story
Carter was born in August 2016. Shortly after birth, we started realizing that there were some problems. Carter was immediately whisked away from me as soon as he was born. I didn’t get to hold or see him until that evening when he was in the NICU at Huntsville Hospital. There were so many unknowns and speculations of what could be wrong, but through it all, God was there. He sent just the right people to us during that very difficult, scary, and trying time.
From the doctors and nurses to our family, everyone that was there right after birth, even through his 43-day stay in the NICU, helped us in ways that are truly unexplainable, and we will always be grateful for it all. Because of Carter’s extended stay in the NICU, we met Brittany. She was Carter’s nurse a couple of times, but she was our nurse on his last day before we had to room in. I will never forget how loving, caring, and attentive she was — not only to Carter but to me and my husband as well.
Through the years since Carter’s NICU discharge, we have kept in touch with Brittany and her beautiful family. Brittany reached out to us and completely surprised us. Our family had been chosen to receive a week long respite beach vacation at Dauphin Island! Not only was the condo a gift, but they even gave us a gift card for us to use for gas or food. I can’t even explain how much this meant to us to be gifted this time away from all the doctor appointments, surgeries, hospital stays, and therapies. Our lives completely revolve around Carter, but it was so nice to have this opportunity to be a family, especially for our other two boys. It was a moment to be away from it all and relax for once. I will never be able to repay or thank them enough for that opportunity. All three boys had a wonderful time, and we made memories that will truly last us a lifetime.
Our sweet Carter was born with a rare genetic syndrome called Treacher Collins. It is classified as a craniofacial syndrome that effects how the facial bones are formed while in utero. This syndrome can affect many things and with Carter, he has malformed/underdeveloped ears, cleft palate, and a small recessed jaw. Due to how small his jaw is, it has required Carter to have a tracheostomy and a feeding tube to protect his small airway. He also has bone conductive hearing aids to help him hear clearly.
