Chiron could serve as Preemie of the Year not due to his uniqueness, but due to his ordinariness.
Chiron was born a day shy of 30 weeks after almost six weeks of preterm labor and hospital bed rest due to the inter utero death of his twin sister, Aurelia.
He suffered nothing unique. He didn't contract any unusual conditions. He simply was born too early and too small.
He received support to eat, to breathe, to regulate his body temperature and to continue to develop. He exists because of the constant vigilance and care of neonatal staff every day, not just in crisis situations.
Chiron is a living model of what we are all seeking to provide for all preemies and thus I believe serves as a powerful model in the role of Preemie of the Year.
For the past two years, I have been honored to judge the Hand to Hold Preemie Power Essay Contest, which asks parents of premature babies to write about why their children are special. The essays all are incredible, so choosing a winner is an impossible task: each and every one of those children, and especially their parents, deserves to be honored for their strength and tenacity. We wanted to share the their stories with you, so we have included excerpts from each of this year’s winning essays below. You can read the essays in their entirety on our website or on Hand to Hold’s website (www.HandToHold.org). Finally, we want to give a shout-out to Hand to Hold: this local nonprofit offers a wealth of information and support for parents of premature babies — if you or someone you know is the parent of a preemie, we encourage you to get in touch with the folks at Hand to Hold. They really are wonderful!
—Kim Pleticha, Editor
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