Tyler

Child's Birth Year
2006

State/Province/Territory
Wisconsin

NICU Hospital for my journey
Elmbrook Memorial Hospital

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Tyler’s story began with urgency. After developing severe pre‑eclampsia, his birth became an emergency C‑section, and in an instant everything shifted from anticipation to survival. He came into the world a big, beautiful baby, but his lungs weren’t ready for the work ahead. A nurse joked that he had what they called “sissy white‑boy syndrome,” meaning some babies struggle a little extra with breathing right after birth. For us, it was no joke at all — it was terrifying.

His greatest challenge was simply catching his breath. He turned blue more times than any parent should ever witness. Every alarm, every pause in his tiny chest, every moment the room filled with nurses felt like the world stopped. The NICU became our universe — monitors beeping, oxygen lines humming, and a fierce little boy fighting harder than anyone his size should ever have to.

But Tyler showed us who he was from day one. Strong. Stubborn. A warrior wrapped in soft newborn skin. Little by little, breath by breath, he found his rhythm. The blue episodes faded. His color returned. And the day we finally held him without wires felt like the sun rising for the first time.

His beginning wasn’t easy, but it shaped everything that came after. Tyler has been proving his strength since the moment he arrived, and he’s never stopped.


What makes you proud of your NICU graduate?
I am proud of Tyler because he has spent his entire life proving that obstacles don’t define him — they reveal him. From the NICU to diagnoses of autism, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, sensory processing disorder, hearing loss, and vision impairment, he has faced more challenges than most adults ever will. And still, he rises.

What amazes me is not just what he’s overcome, but who he’s become. He turned every hurdle into grit, every setback into discipline, every hard day into fuel. Today, he’s an honor‑roll student and a dual‑sport college athlete, playing both football and lacrosse at a level many never reach. That’s not luck. That’s heart. That’s work. That’s Tyler.

I’m proud because he never quits. I’m proud because he leads with strength and kindness. I’m proud because he is exactly who God made him to be — unstoppable.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
7lbs 2.2 ozs

Weeks Gestation
34 1/2 Weeks

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Number of Days, Months, or Years)
15 Days