We were diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia on April 7, 2006 at 29 weeks gestation. At 33 weeks on May 7, 2006 Parker was born at 9:03 a.m. weighing in at 3 pounds and 12 ounces and 16 inches long and immediately taken to NICU for her recovery. Ten minutes after being born Parker’s heart stopped beating and she was resuscitated by one of her doctors. She was stabilized and given an ultrasound to determine the damage from her CDH. It was found that Parker had a small hole in her good lung, also called Pulmonary Hypoplasia which was not a good sign. A breathing tube and chest tube were placed in her to help assist with her breathing. At this point they were not concerned about the CDH just yet because she had other hurdles she had to overcome first.

At four o’clock that evening, Dr. Cotten, her neonatal doctor, came in to tell us that she had taken a turn for the worst. Ashley asked him percentage wise what we were looking at and his response floored us both. He said Parker had a 1 to 2 percent chance of making it through the next 12-24 hours. He said that we should prepare ourselves and families and suggested we make our way to NICU to spend time with her. Our nurse got me together and for the first time since being born I saw my baby girl. I was in no way prepared for what I would see. She lay there so helpless but so beautiful! She was truly her Daddy's little girl! We sat with her, held her and just talked to her! She even opened her eyes a few times! What a sight! We left Parker and went back to our room. Ashley and I both broke down and I started bargaining with God. Seeing our daughter that helpless was more than either of us could bear. She was so fragile but yet so strong. Neither of us could sleep and we just sat up comforting each other. At midnight, they came back to tell us that Parker’s condition was not improving. She was getting worse and they sat with us explaining the options we had. They wanted us to be prepared and we were so thankful for that.

At four a.m. they came back and told us that Parker had gotten worse. They wanted to know what Ashley and I wanted for Parker and we made the decision to let her go. Her CDH was severe as was her lung problem. She could not release her carbon dioxide and eventually she would have died of carbon dioxide poisoning. They could keep her sedated but that was not the life we wanted for Parker. The hardest decision Ashley and I could ever make was to let Parker go but we wanted her to go peacefully. We called our families, who were living in a hotel nearby, and told them to get there soon. We all made our way down to NICU, where they unhooked the machines and we held our daughter as she was baptized. It was so nice to hold her without the tubes. She took her last breath in her Daddy's arms at 5 a.m. exactly. They took her from us to clean her up and brought her to our room for us to spend some private and very precious time with.

This journey is one we didn’t sign up for and were not prepared for but it’s our lives now and we will embrace it the best way we can and know how. This foundation was created because of our daughter, Parker Reese. She is a daily inspiration to both of us. I hope that her life and story will help past, present and future families of congenital diaphragmatic hernia.