• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tales of The Anti-Preemie

Following Sam as he grows and his impact on our family

  • Home
  • About
  • Press
  • All Posts

All about Kenna

July 10, 2012 by melragent 4 Comments

Sam the Anti-Preemie's friend Kenna
After 183 days, Kenna is OUT OF THERE!

Today is a great day.  Nothing really to report with Sam – he is just doing great.  What makes today special is a preemie friend of ours is finally going home after 6 months (and one day) in the NICU.  Now, a baby being released from the NICU is always a joyous thing.  In this case, it is truly magical.  You see, Sam’s little friend was born weighing just 9 ounces (yes – 9 ounces… that is not a typo).  She is the 4th smallest preemie in the world to survive.  And the great thing, Kenna is doing more than just surviving… she is thriving.  Yes, she has a long road ahead of her, but what preemie doesn’t.

So, today, when I read that Kenna was finally going home, I welled up with tears and a smile. The woman pushing her son in the swing next to Sam looked at me like I was crazy.  I just told her Kenna was going home.  Then I cried more.  Then I told her the story.  The whole story.  Who Kenna was, how small she was when she was born, the odds that were stacked against her.  It didn’t take long for the woman to cry a little either.

Then, she asked me how I knew Kenna.  I paused here for just a moment, because I have never met Kenna.  I told her I was friends with her mom… which is true, even though we have never met.  This is where the preemie community comes in.  6 months ago, a friend of mine reached out to me to tell me that one of her blogger friends just had a very small preemie.  She asked me if I would be willing to reach out to her friend and offer some support.  Knowing how much having experienced preemie mom’s reach out to me meant, I jumped at the chance.  Pretty soon, I was talking with Kenna’s mom almost every day on Facebook.  It was nice to share my experience and be there to support someone else.  Helping Kenna’s mom helped me.  I had an outlet for my knowledge and a purpose.  I was there to help Kenna’s mom get through her NICU journey.

The reality is, Kenna’s mom helped me recover from my NICU journey.  Talking with her, listening to her, supporting her, etc was just great for me.  By paying it forward, I was able to leave some of it behind.  I am so proud to know Nicole, to be a part of Kenna’s life (even from a distance), and I really do look forward to the day when we can get Sam and Kenna is a room together for a photo op.

Related posts:

I'll take that diagnosis
A Full Decade Old
The Therapy Fund | Vol. 7
  • share:
  • Recommend on Facebook
  • Pin it on pinterest
  • Share with Stumblers
  • Tweet about it
  • Subscribe to the comments on this post
  • Tell a friend

Filed Under: Life at home, One year to Two years

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. RookieMom Whitney says

    July 11, 2012 at 10:21 am

    LIKE LIKE LIKE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

    HAPPY DANCE FOR KENNA!! Amazing!

    Reply
  2. Amy Heinz says

    July 11, 2012 at 10:44 am

    Both you and Nicki inspire me constantly. Thank you for helping my friend and for helping me understand your journeys. Today is a day to celebrate indeed!

    Reply
    • melragent says

      July 12, 2012 at 10:27 am

      Thank you for introducing us! I am still not sure who has helped who more. Knowing Nicole and Kenna has been a blessing for me.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Superheroes Come in Many Forms says:
    July 30, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    […] A while back, I dedicated a blog post to Kenna, the 4th smallest preemie in the world to survive. As amazing as little Miss Kenna is, her […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

One Pound, Twelve Ounces

Available now. Learn more at melissaharrisauthor.com

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About Me

I’m Melissa. My life was turned upside down when my second child, Sam, was born just 24 weeks into my pregnancy. This is our continuing story. Memoir about our experiences due out Nov 2, 2021

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

From the Gallery

Sam the Anti-Preemie: Sissy's present.  I named him Bean Sam the Anti-Preemie: Laughing in the swing Dr. Sam

Categories

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Amy Harter on Welcome to PTSD Season
  • Linda Goldfarb on Welcome to PTSD Season
  • Sam on Day 13: September 29

See Us on Sutter Health’s TV Ad

Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Sam

© 2023 · Melissa Harris

»
«