Danielle Hughes’s Story

"When we found out we were expecting our first baby, we were so unbelievably excited. Our dreams seemed to all be coming true. My husband was finishing his doctorate degree, I was working in a field I had always wanted to work in and we were expanding our love with our first baby. Little did we know that when I left for work that fateful Tuesday to help others bring their bundles of joy into the world, we would be holding our very own extremely premature baby much sooner than we ever expected.

Friday, July 21, 2017, we welcomed Whitlee Jane Hughes into our world. Born at just 23 weeks and one day, a tiny but mighty 1lb 2 oz fighter our girl was. In the 17 days our girl fought to bless us with, she showed us love and strength that we had never experienced before. We tangibly held our dreams in our hands for those "Days of Whitlee," as we lovingly refer to them. Whitlee, being so extremely premature, stacked all odds against us, but the gift of her for 17 days was incredible. 

In the days following Whitlee's passing, we experienced the most heart wrenching pain imaginable. No parent should ever have to bury a child. 

We have been so very fortunate to be surrounded with love and compassion throughout our continuous journey.  There isn't one single day that goes by that we don't think of her and who she would be. We celebrate her birthdays and grieve her passing day a little harder than we grieve her daily.

In June of 2019, Whitlee Jane sent us her brother Brooks Allen Hughes at just 24 weeks gestation. After spending nearly six months in Toledo, we brought our Miracle Man home. We speak of Miss Whitlee to Brooks often and believe a part of her lives on in him.

I have been part of the labor and delivery team here at Lima Memorial throughout our journey to parenthood, and I have been asked several times over the years how I manage to remain in this field after our personal trials. Although it is a daily reminder of my grief for Whitlee, I am determined to let it make me softer and more compassionate for all of my patients and the situations that may arise."

   – Danielle Hughes, Surgical Technician, OB