Imagine how proud you’d be if your child excelled in school, worked hard and achieved their goal of an important career.
And now imagine that 30 years ago that baby was born 12 weeks early and left for dead, covered up by a nurse who thought his heart had stopped beating long before birth only to hear him make some noises and see his foot move. And that he worked hard to overcome the disabilities that caused as he grew, finally graduating from medical school and becoming a pediatrician.
That’s what happened for Lisa Dalton and her son Jeremy. When he was born, doctors told her there was little hope of survival, and even if he did live he’d be unable to ever walk, talk or feed himself. But the little baby showed them otherwise and continued with that kind of determination the rest of his life. A lack of oxygen at birth caused cerebral palsy, but that never stopped him from achieving, even if it took him longer or he had to figure out a different way to do something.
It gets better – the doctor who cared for him in the NICU, Dr. Thelma Sutter, always remembered him. Lisa Dalton sent Dr. Sutter updates over the years. Soon after Jeremy began his pediatric practice, he ran into Dr. Sutter at a local hospital. The name didn’t ring a bell right away, but when it did she went running down the hall after him. When she discovered he was the baby she’d cared for so long ago, she told him “I was always so proud of you.”
I sort of love everyone in this story. Not only did Lisa Dalton always keep up with the doctor who cared for her son, she continued to send cards to the NICU, letting them know that premature babies could survive and thrive.
Pass the tissue please…and somebody get the Hallmark Channel on the phone!
Photo credit: AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, John A. Bowersmith
