Luke

NICU Wall of Hope

Luke’s mother, Leslie, went into the delivery room expecting that he wouldn’t survive. When he was born 17 weeks early, he weighed 1 lb, 10 oz. His first Christmas, his first Easter – nearly five months – were spent in Woman’s NICU. 

“The hardest thing was when I left to go home without him,” Leslie said. “In the long run, I think it was probably for the better. I understand now that he was where he was supposed to be. He was where he needed to be to grow and get the attention he needed.” 

Luke went home with an oxygen tank, a heart monitor and a feeding tube, but within a month, he didn’t need any of it. Now 14, Luke enjoys hunting, baseball and video games. He took the ACT in 7th grade, and his mom is proud to say that he scored higher than she did when she was a high school student!