Q&A....

Since Mylah has been in the hospital I transferred to our Ann Arbor, Michigan office for work. Once a week I still travel back to our Southfield office. I usually pass up a billboard on my way into that office & each time I pass it I smile and laugh to myself.

Only because I know the question doesn't really mean what most think it does. My response to the question is not the response I think the marketing team was aiming for.

I remember why I chose this hospital to labor & deliver my first child. I wanted the most pleasant birthing experience possible. I wanted to be in a place where I knew I could get the very best care for myself & my new baby should he/she need it. I had a vision of what I wanted to experience the first time I had a child. I didn't give it a second thought.

I was worried when the hospital & my insurance carrier got into a contract dispute regarding reimbursement because it threatened my ability to deliver there. I asked GOD to intervene & resolve the negotiations before I went into labor, & it resolved. I was safe.

Then came the diagnosis; Trisomy 18 and in an instant, everything changed.
No more prenatal services from the hospital. No additional testing. No heart monitoring. No resuscitation... because the baby would die anyway so there was no point. Most importantly, no option for surgery to fix the defects of my child's heart.

I know most people who see this billboard have a simple answer, but my answer is a little more complicated and complex but it's able to be addressed in a simple statement.


              "Trisomy 18"


That's why I went somewhere else. To a place where my child was treated because she was a living, breathing, striving, thriving, Human Being and not denied care because of a extra chromosome. A place that acknowledges her Trisomy 18, but treats Mylah not the "Trisomy 18".  A place where the doctor said he would support us in our decisions whether we opted for full heart repair or not. A place where the surgeon said "it's your decision, not mine". A place where Mylah is called by name and not looked at as a child with no chance for survival. A place where physicians try to help her LIVE with her Trisomy 18 and haven't discriminated against her because of it.  A place that is giving her the care she needs which is making a difference in her LIFE. A place that saw her heart defect as it's own issue outside of her Trisomy 18, and said "lets fix it and let her write her own story". A place where she is loved by staff and they want to give her all the resources available to help her continue along.

Mylah is where she is supposed to be, receiving the care that she should be receiving. She's celebrating 5 Months of LIFE today. She has a repaired ASD, VSD, & PDA. She is receiving PT, OT and eventually will start speech therapy.  She continues to get stronger each day.  She is 5 months older because GOD has the final say.

So that's why we went somewhere else.  I'm sure this isn't the answer marketing expected but it's the answer I was given because we didn't have a choice the choice was made for us.