Teddy's Story

Teddy is a happy Tiny Light who brings lots of joy to everyone around him. He loves hugs and kisses with his mom and has the best laugh. Three-pound Teddy and his two-
pound twin brother Sammy came into the world at 28 weeks gestation. When he was six days old, Teddy contracted a staph infection while in the NICU and, as a result, his bilirubin level spiked to dangerously high levels. This resulted in damage to the basal ganglia part of the brain, leaving him with cerebral palsy, profound deafness and cataracts, which led to his lenses being removed.

His parents were devastated and didn’t know the exact extent of his condition, as only time would tell. It’s been frustrating and overwhelming at times due to the enormity of his problems. They worry about how they’ll be able to cope over the long term.

Medically, it’s been incredible for them to see the technology that’s giving Teddy a better quality of life. He had a bilateral cochlear implant and is now able to hear. Hopefully, more medical advances will continue to improve his quality of life in other ways as well.

If Teddy’s lucky, he’ll be able to talk, walk and communicate. But his parents are prepared that he may be very limited in these aspects, so they focus on the joy they feel when he laughs or reaches a milestone. Teddy has many people in his corner who love him and are contributing to his cause. A dream for Teddy’s parents would be for him to say “Mommy” and “Daddy” and walk over to them and play with his twin brother and his seven-year-old brother.

Written by Lori Meers

Images captured by Forever Captured Photography