We knew about Sammy's condition prior to his birth. Not much
was known about it in 1994. He was the 8th person
in the world diagnosed with it and the first one in utero. At the time,
the diagnosis was the technical name "22q13 deletion syndrome".
Another complication was the fact that he was born premature
(we almost lost him in the hospital twice, but he definitely was
a fighter) . He was in the hospital
for about 4 months before he was allowed to come home.
He weighed 2 lbs. and 4 ounces and was 13 inches long.
We lived in Naples (FL) at the time, and Sue ended up being
admitted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.
I was working in Caracas,Venezuela.
So we made "home" for the next 4 months at a place they
set up for extended housing (similar to the "Ronald
McDonald House). At that time (after 6 weeks), we didn't
know how long he would be in the hospital. So unfortunately,
I had to return to work. So Sue stayed in Orlando
and stayed with Sam around the clock.
And I flew in to Orlando on Friday nights and flew back out
on Monday mornings, back to work it Caracas.
They had to take him early because I almost lost Sue
at that time, she developed "help syndrome".
If they didn't deliver immediately, I could have lost
both of them. But that was not to happen as God certainly had
plans for us !!!