As told by Harlie's mom, Jessica Hackler
Harlie was born 1lb 8oz 12in at 25 weeks, barely making it past the line to be resuscitated. Her due date was September 6 but instead she was born May 29th, 2013 through an emergency C-section where she needed immediate resuscitation.
Doctors did not expect either of us to pull through. In fact, they called my family and said to get to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible and start arranging 2 funerals.
I had preeclampsia which escalated into HELLP Syndrome, causing my blood pressure to read 200 over 104 and the protein in my urine to read extremely high at 5838. I was going into liver failure, kidney failure, stroke and blindness. My placenta was 50% abrupted, my blood wasn't coagulating with my pregnancy and my lab work showed I never should have made it to 25 weeks.
Harlie had a rough road ahead. We were in the NICU in Dallas at Baylor for 8 months. Luckily she didn't have a single brain bleed. She does have pulmonary bronchial dysplasia, a.k.a. severe chronic lung disease. She has a trach and a g-button and continues to get her food on a feeding pole but she's come so far.
Harlie just turned 5 and is now 35lbs and 42 inches. If everything goes as it should she will be getting her trach out next summer. The doctors are completely baffled and amazed by her; she has beaten all the odds. They didn't expect her to even make it to 30 weeks and now at 5 years old she is the most strong-willed, fearless, determined child I have ever seen!