9A
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 24 2016
LEDGER-ENQUIRER.COM
Catherine and Julio Morales are the proud parents of Juliette Morales.
FROM PAGE 1A
STORY
ed looking at the mean-
ings of the name, and I
want to say Juliette and
Catherine were both pure,
clean and beautiful. We
knew that when she came
into this world thats ex-
actly what she would be. of the best neonatal in-
The little fighter who
weighed less than 2
pounds when she was
born is now 13 pounds and
discovering the worlds here whenever they have
wonders.
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT
TIME
Catherine and Julio had
been talking about a vaca-
tion to Charleston for
three years and finally
decided to take it in late
April as she was complet-
ing her second trimester.
Catherine, who works in
the advertising depart-
ment at the Ledger-En-
quirer, and Julio, general
manager of First Watch
restaurant (formerly Egg
and I), took time off to
make the trip before the
baby arrived.
They were on vacation
at Middleton Place, one of
the oldest and most beau-
tiful gardens in the coun-
try, when the trip turned
into an ordeal that would
last months.
Catherine began to feel
sick and went to the emer-
gency room at Trident
Medical Center in north
Charleston. She soon
learned that her water had
broke on April 27 and
unbeknownst to her, she
had started the labor pro-
cess.
They were telling her place.
there that she was labor-
ing, and that the baby
could come at any min-
ute, Julio remembered. weeks, well under the 40
Catherine was 24 weeks
pregnant when she was
transferred from Trident
to the Medical University
of South Carolina, which
is about seven and a half
hours from Columbus.
On April 29, doctors put
Catherine on bed rest to
try to slow the labor pro-
cess. Every day she could
keep the baby in the
womb, it increased the
odds of survival.
Still, the Morales were
looking for a way back
home. They asked the
hospital staff about the
possibility of being trans-
Photos and screenshots submitted by Catherine Morales.
ferred to Midtown Med-
ical Center in Columbus.
They said, Its kind of and praying.
funny because most peo-
ple want to stay here,
Julio said.
The couple was in one
tensive care units on the
East Coast.
They said, You know,
people beg us to come
high-risk situations, Julio
said.
Still, they were dis-
cussing ways to get home
before Juliette was born.
Then they had a conversa-
tion with a doctor that
abruptly ended that pur-
suit.
I told him that I know
that we keep pushing for
trying to get transferred
back to Columbus, but
what are the risks? Julio
said. He said, There are
many hospitals along the
way and wed have to get
you through Florence,
Atlanta, and then back to
Columbus to get you in a
route where there are
hospitals along the way.
Then the doctor gave a
blunt assessment.
But in the case that she
goes into labor in that bus
or the ambulance, the
chance is that the baby
may not make it at all, and
if moms bleeding out,
shes not going to make
it, Julio said. And at that
moment I said for both of
them, Were just going to
stay where were at. A FIGHTER
They quickly discovered
they were in the right
The goal was to keep
Catherine pregnant and
deliver the baby at 34
weeks a full-term preg-
nancy runs. But even that
was a long shot. Each day
gave the baby a greater
chance of survival. At 24
weeks, there is about a 40
percent infant survival
rate and it increases to
about 90 percent in the
27th week.
They made it seem
that if we can get at least
to the 26-, 27-week mark,
the baby had a greater
chance, Catherine said.
So, every night I was just
listening to the heart mon-
itor.
Listening and praying
and talking to Baby Ju-
liette.
I was just telling her to
hang on, behave, Cathe-
rine said.
Julio was back in Co-
lumbus, working, worrying
He, too, was thinking,
Hang on, Juliette.
For nearly two weeks,
Catherine was confined to
the hospital room in Char-
leston, mostly alone and
scared. The nurses and
staff became her new
family and the phone was
her lifeline.
But on May 10 the game
changed. Catherine start-
ed to bleed, threatening
her and the babys health.
It was time for Juliette
to be born.
Julio was in Columbus
when he got the call from
his wife, who was crying
and told him she was
about to go into the oper-
ating room for an emer-
gency cesarean section.
Before he reached War-
ner Robins, Julio received
a call from the hospital.
They said, Well, shes
being stitched up now,
babys looking good,
breathing on her own,
Julio remembered.
Ready or not, Juliette
Morales after spending
26 weeks and one day in
her mothers womb
showed up weighing 1
pound, 15 ounces.
We were just scared,
said Julio, who made the
seven-plus hour drive to
Charleston in less than
five hours.
DADDYS LITTLE GIRL IS
Before Julio arrived,
Catherine had briefly seen
her daughter when the
nurses rolled the baby into
the recovery room.
Juliette was in an in-
cubator, wrapped in plas-
tic.
When Julio got to Char-
leston, he went straight to
Catherines side.
I wanted to spend
some time with Cathe-
rine, he said.
After more than three
hours, it was time for
father to meet daughter.
I almost broke down to
the point of tears and just
amazement because of
how small she was, how
much of a miracle, and
how she was a fighter,
Julio said.
Everywhere Julio
looked, there were tubes
running in and out of
Juliettes tiny body.
Her foot was the size
of my thumb, Julio re-
membered.
One of the nurses told
Julio that was normal. His
thought: This is a new
normal for us.
It took four days before
Catherine could hold her
baby.
She was in the process
of changing her mindset,
too.
We were ready for a
long haul, she said.
And to cope, she kept a
journal.
Five days after Juliette
was born, Catherine
wrote: I know this will be
MIKE HASKEY mhaskey@ledger-enquirer.com
a very long road, but you
are strong and are show-
ing already that you are a
fighter. Please continue
fighting for me.
She signed it Momma.
The new norm eventu-
ally led Julio back to Co-
lumbus and Birming-
ham, where he was pre-
paring for the conversion
of the Egg and I to First
Watch and Catherine to
the Charleston Ronald
McDonald House, right
across the road from the
hospital that was going to
be Juliettes home for
nearly seven weeks.
Its almost like that
was perfect timing be-
cause Juliettes in the
hospital, Catherine is at
the Ronald McDonald
house a block away, Julio
said of the transition going
on at his work. The ba-
bys being taken care of,
Ive got to do what Ive got
to do to make sure that I
provide for them and, you
know, theres no way I
could have left work for
two or three months and
still had a job.
Catherine turned to her
journal as therapy.
It is the experience of
her birth, descriptions of
some of the people, the
doctors, meeting the
friends up there, every
little thing about how
shes doing, how shes
feeling, just some of the
tests that theyve run
and everythings in here,
she said. It is therapy. If I
cant sit there and get a
hug from my momma,
then this was the second-
best thing.
At least once, but some-
times twice a day, Cathe-
rine was in the hospital
with Juliette. She found a
new family at the Ronald
McDonald House and a
newfound respect for the
Medical University of
South Carolina.
We were in one of the
best places in the coun-
try, Catherine said.
By early June, Juliette
was making progress and
Catherine and Julio began
to explore ways to get
back to Columbus. The
only problem was that
Juliette was looking at
possibly two more months
in the neonatal intensive
care unit.
The doctor tried to find
out the best way to get us
home, but we were ulti-
mately talking about it
and came up with the
decision to stay, Cathe-
rine said, despite the fact
that all of their family was
back in Georgia. We
were already comfortable
with where we were at.
Yes, there were times
when it was hard. I got
lonely, but, you know, just
meeting the people up
there, they were wonder-
ful.
But as the days wore on,
there became a possibility
that Juliette could be
transferred to the NICU at
Midtown Medical Center
in Columbus. Juliette
would have to be airlifted
back to Columbus and
Julio and Catherine were
told the cost would be
News
Juliette Morales in her incubator in NICU.
Juliette Morales and her father.
$11,350. meaning.
We couldnt afford I had a friend that I
that, Julio said. I told made up there in Char-
them we were a few 20s leston and she came
short for that. across a story on Face-
They thought that had book, Catherine said.
ended the discussion and There was a family who
they would ride it out in had a pair of twins ex-
South Carolina until Ju- tremely early. When you
liette was released. But are in the NICU, you kind
the social worker arrang- of want to mark those
ing the flight came back milestones, see how well
and said it could be done that theyre growing.
for $9,500. Enter Mr. Potato Head,
That was still more than the perfect measuring tool
they could afford. for a premature infant.
The next day Cathe- They decided to put it
rine calls me, she says, up against their twins each
Hey, theyre asking me if month, Catherine said.
I could be ready tomorrow They would take a photo.
morning, you know, would Part of the reason for the
I be willing to go home? Potato Head is because
Julio said. I said, Well, its hard plastic, you can
you know what we told wipe it down, you dont
them, we dont have that have to put it in a bag, you
kind of money. Then she dont have to watch it.
says, Its taken care of. I Juliette has her Mr.
said, How? They said Potato Head and it has
dont worry about it, its been a photo prop several
taken care of. times in the last six
On June 23, Catherine months, most recently on
and Juliette flew back to her 5-month birthday.
Columbus on a private As they reflect on 2016,
medical jet. Juliette, Catherine and Julio talk
weighing 3 pounds and about faith and new life.
some change, was coming Weve had so many
home for the first time. instances where it could
They still dont know have ended, and I have
how it happened, but Julio some conditions that are
has an explanation. not favorable to carrying a
It was just another one full-term baby, she said.
of the angels that has been We just kind of took it
looking after us on this one day at a time, and
journey, he said. when she was born again
Juliette spent three it was one day at a time,
weeks in the Columbus and hitting the mile-
NICU before going home. stones.
They have been tested,
SPECIAL GIFTS FOR A Julio said.
SPECIAL GIFT There were a lot of
When Juliette is old trials and tests all along,
enough to understand this but, like I have said, we
story, she will get two dont grow weary, Julio
special gifts from her said. We just believe in
parents: Her mothers what we believe in and
journal and a Mr. Potato stick to that.
Head.
So the first entry was Chuck Williams:
her story, all seven pages 706-571-8510,
of it was her story, Cath- @chuckwilliams
erine said. I continue to
write in it.
The Mr. Potato Head
also carries a special