MIRACLE MONDAYS – Addison and Wyatt Gould

The story of Addison and Wyatt Gould

Having one preemie baby is not something most parents expect, having two is almost unthinkable. For the Gould family, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital truly became a home away from home.

“Addison was born at 24 weeks and weighed only 1 pound, 9 ounces,” said Rachel Gould, Addison’s Mom. “My water broke on the way to the hospital and we knew we were in trouble. Addison was born 7 minutes later.”

Addison has experienced a number of challenges since then including cerebral palsy and speech delay. “The hardest part was seeing her resuscitated,” Rachel said. “We walked in and had no idea what was going on. Although it was a grim outlook, we survived it! She’s not your typical 8-year-old and we’re OK with that. She’s surpassed what many thought she was going to do.”

Rachel was back in the NICU when her son Wyatt was born. “He was there for 30 days. While we had memories of Addison’s stay, his was not as complicated as hers.” Wyatt has dealt with just about everything including development and speech delays. “He may have more going on medically then Addison, but he continues to gain and make progress.”

“All in all, they’re both happy kids! We love St. John’s and will do what we can to help raise awareness for these preemies! We cannot express how grateful we are for the care she received.”

Do you have a miracle child that was treated as HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital? Facebook message us or email dave.newton@hshs.org and tell us your story! #miraclemondays