Rylee’s Story
There is no truer statement than “life is a gift, never take it for granted”. Jason and I learned this valuable lesson to be true when our daughter was born prematurely. When it comes to the birth of a child, it is truly a miracle where you cherish each and every moment.
On the evening of Wednesday, August 15, 2007, my water broke.
We were thinking ‘it’s too soon, I’m only 32 weeks.’ So we contacted the on-call nurse and she told us to come to the hospital. We hadn’t even packed our hospital bag or gone to our birthing class yet. We just grabbed a few things and left with the uncertainty of what might lie ahead.
We arrived at St. Francis Hospital Bartlett and immediately the doctor tried to stop the labor. After much effort, the doctor said this baby is coming.
At 2:24 pm on August 16, 2007, our daughter, Rylee Rae Vinson, was born. She arrived 7½ weeks premature, but came out kicking and screaming like any normal, healthy baby. She weighed 3 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 17 inches long. We were all confident that she would be just fine. She looked absolutely perfect.
The nurses took her to the NICU within the first few minutes and put her on oxygen. Approximately 48 hours later, the neonatologist informed us Rylee wasn’t getting enough oxygen and needed to be put on a special ventilator. Jason and I were concerned, but she was still hanging in there.
On her third day of life, the doctor said she was having severe lung complications and that we needed to transfer her to the NICU at The Med. They had a different type of ventilator that would be gentler on her lungs than a regular one. Rylee was transported by ambulance and all set up on this new ventilator.
We never expected any of this to happen to our sweet little girl. We scrubbed into the sterile environment numerous times through the day and night and using sterile foam each time before we touched her. She had blood transfusions, many tests, x-rays and was connected to all sorts of wires and machines. We hung on every moment while we waited for the results on the next tests to see if there were signs of improvement.
Sadly, after being on life support for 8 days, Rylee became an angel in heaven.
To honor Rylee’s memory, we raise as many donations as possible to give back to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. It is our hope that they are able to continue to help families in our situation and to find a way to prevent prematurity.
Read more about Rylee, her sister Kayden and other stories from our members.
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Rylee
There is no truer statement than “life is a gift, never take it for granted.”
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Kayden
Kayden is now an extremely happy almost eight-year-old who loves soccer and gymnastics.
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Campbell
When Sean and I found out we were pregnant in April 2009, we were so excited and thought “that was really easy!”
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Alexander
Greenfield's very own "Little A" (Alexander) Cerpa was born 7 1/2 weeks early at 4 lbs. 6 oz.