Brad and Shelly Harrison had been on Mississippi’s waiting list for adoptions for about six years when the social worker called.

“A preemie baby has been airlifted from Batesville, Mississippi, to The MED’s neonatal-ICU (NICU). You have thirty minutes to decide if you want her. Then, I’ll call the next family on the list,” said the social worker.

For Brad and Shelly it took only 30 seconds. They had been hoping for another child after they adopted their first daughter Avery. They had experienced heartbreak fostering other children, and they wanted another child to make their family complete.

“When the social worker called, we didn’t care what that baby looked like or what was wrong with her,” said Brad. “We just knew that we were called to do this.”

Brad, who is executive director of Information Technology at The MED, was about to experience his work place from an entirely different perspective – the parent of a NICU baby they named AvaGrace.

Brad and Shelly were appointed guardians, which gave them access to AvaGrace in the NICU.

“From the moment we had access, Shelly was at the NICU every day,” said Brad. “She would ride to work with me in the morning and stay with the baby in the NICU all day. After work, we would go home, have dinner, spend time with Avery, and then come back at night.” 

Brad and Shelly were amazed by the quality of care AvaGrace received. Their new daughter was a four-pound Medicaid patient from Mississippi, and they felt she was getting the absolute best care available anywhere.  

“We spent months in the NICU with AvaGrace,” said Brad. “It gave us so much appreciation for the physicians, nurses and staff. They’re just so amazing. When MED PRIDE, the employee fundraising campaign for The MED Foundation, rolls around each year, I'm there.  It’s so easy for me to give because I know that money is funding the NICU’s excellence.”

Of course, there were some scary moments for AvaGrace’s new parents.

 “I remember getting a call at work from my sister who was visiting AvaGrace with my wife,” said Brad. “All she said was ‘Get to the NICU now.’”   

Brad recalls that when he arrived at the NICU AvaGrace had stopped breathing. He learned that this was called a Brady and is not uncommon in preemies. With some preemies the messaging to the brain that triggers a baby to restart breathing isn’t fully developed so they have apnea (stop breathing).

“We learned that if she stopped breathing we had to pull her toe or stimulate her in some way to restart her breathing,” said Brad. “Even though there are apnea monitors to warn us when a Brady occurs, this was very scary for us.”

The NICU physicians and staff were able to prepare Brad and Shelly for the health issues they might face because AvaGrace was premature. Today AvaGrace has mostly caught up developmentally with only a few areas needing extra attention, such as speech pathology.

“I love to bring my kids to work,” said Brad. “When they are in the halls, it’s as if they are celebrities. So many people stop and talk to AvaGrace and Avery because they know our story, and they know they played a part in making our family complete. ”

You can hear Brad talk about his experience in this MED PRIDE video.

“I urge everyone to give to The MED Foundation to support excellence,” said Brad. “If you are an employee you can give through MED PRIDE. If you’re not an employee, you can give online at www.themedfoundation.org. You never know when someone you love may need The MED one day.”