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Casey's Success Story

Published on: 1/12/2012

Baby Casey holding an adults fingerI was born on June 3, 1989 approximately four months premature and weighed less than 2 lbs. I was on ECMO for sixteen days, which is the longest at the time they have had an infant on it. My lungs were so damaged that the biopsy samples they sent out for analysis were thought to be autopsy samples. I rode the Nicklaus Children's Hospital LifeFlight plane from Tampa to Miami and then back to St. Petersburg and I was then transferred to All Children's Hospital.

March 10, 1990 - Airlifted from St. .Joseph's Hospital in Tampa to Nicklaus Children's Hospital

 May 4, 1990 - Airlifted from Nicklaus Children's Hospital to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg

June 3, 1990 - On TV during the Jerry Lewis telethon

July, 2, 1990 - Came home with feeding tube, trachea, on oxygen

April 15, 1991 - Trachea removed

Today I am a twenty year old, healthy college student. I am currently a junior at Indiana State University majoring in criminology and criminal justice with a minor in psychology. My career goals consist of becoming a police officer and working for Homeland Security, more specifically working Border Patrol. One day I plan to return to the hospital to visit and see what life is really like at Nicklaus Children's through my own eyes. 
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