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Hello, my name is Heather and I would like to share my story with you.

My husband Tom and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for four wonderful years. We always knew we wanted to have children and decided to add to our family back in June of 2008. We are planners so when my goal of becoming pregnant in the late spring early summer had come true we where thrilled. My pregnancy was going great. Not much sickness, a little tired but not more than you would expect. I was making big plans for the baby room, and of course planning out what our baby would wear home from the hospital. Things couldn’t have moved any smoothly.

It was just after Christmas 2008 when I went in for my 7 month check up. It wasn’t until after the nurse had taken my blood pressure 5 times that I realized there was something seriously wrong. My doctor had told me that he was going to send me over to the hospital for more testing because my blood pressure was very high and my body was producing a very high amount of protein that was unsafe for me and my baby. After several tests and a night in the hospital it was determined that I had developed a disorder called Preeclampsia. Although the cause of Preeclampsia is still unknown it affects 5-8% of pregnancies and the only cure is to deliver the baby. As you can imagine my husband and I where not ready and had no idea what the future had in store for us. My doctor had told me that the chances of our baby surviving at 28 weeks was hopeful but everyday that he could keep her in the womb would increase her chances of survival. I was put on bed rest to avoid any chances of high blood pressure induced seizures and given steroid injections to help our babies lungs develop. After a week of bed rest and several trips to the hospital I had become very sick. The Preeclampsia had started to shut down my kidney and liver functions and the decision was made to deliver the baby before both of our lives where to weak to survive.

Our precious baby girl Grace Lynn Morgan was born at 12:45pm on Tuesday January 6^th 2009. She weighed 2lbs 2oz and was 15 1/4 inches long. Immediately after she was born she was placed on a CPAP to help her breath and taken to the NICU.  My husband was by her side every step of the way while I was in recovery, along with two NICU doctors, 5 NICU nurses and several machines. Grace pushed through and hung on. I had to wait several hours before I could see her and I will never forget the first time I was brought to see my little miracle. She was hooked up to a breathing machine, two heart monitors, and several iv’s. Thankfully, Due to the steroid injects I was given she only had to be on the CPAP for 5 days. The pain I felt not being able to leave the hospital with my baby or hold my baby for the first week of her life will never leave my heart. Because God was watching over her and because of her strong will and amazing perseverance Grace made it through her two month stay in the NICU.

On March 2^nd 2009 Grace came home! This was truly the most amazing day of our lives. I know that if it where not for the love and support from the doctors, nurses, family, and friends my husband and I would not have made it through the toughest time of our lives. I want to give back to those families who are going through the horrendous pain we had gone through. This is why I have created “Amazing Grace”.  Grace is doing great now and is developmentally right on track. We are so blessed and will never take a day with Grace for granted.