Meet Our Champions

Ella was born 13 weeks early at just 27 weeks’ gestation, weighing only 2lbs., 8oz. From the very beginning, she showed remarkable strength. Shortly after birth, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and spent two weeks on a ventilator, self-extubating multiple times, already determined to fight her own battles. At two months, she was diagnosed with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and later went home on oxygen. Because of her fragile condition, her mom couldn’t hold her until day seven, and her dad until day eight. Ella spent 89 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Baystate Children’s Hospital, where she faced many challenges, including two brain bleeds, Retinopathy of Prematurity, and the slow, uncertain progress that comes with extreme prematurity. Yet through it all, she met each hurdle with quiet courage. Today, eight-year-old Ella is vibrant, strong, and full of life. She is a living testament to the incredible, compassionate care she received.