Before we even knew about any of this, we actually had his name picked out: Maverick. 

When I was pregnant, we found out after my 28-week checkup that our baby had hydrops fetalis1 and a mass2 in his right lung. Other doctors had told my husband, Micah, and I to prepare for the worst, so when Dr. Cass3 spoke to us about the surgery as an option, it was a relief. 

I could feel Maverick moving. I felt like he was fighting for this. He wanted this. This baby wasn’t giving up, so we weren’t going to give up, either. We were ready to do whatever we needed to do to make sure he had the best possible chance. 

Maverick was 37 weeks old when he was born. As far as the surgery goes, we couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.4  I got to hold his hand and rub the top of his head in the NICU. He was there for six weeks. It was a slow process, but we kept getting good news, like “We’re lowering his meds” and “He’s coming off the ventilator soon.” Maverick kept fighting. 

When we finally brought him home, his older brother, Micah Jr., was so sweet. He just gave Maverick the biggest hug. If you saw them playing together today, you would have no idea of everything Maverick has been through. He absolutely has lived up to his name. 

 

Maverick celebrated his first birthday in June. He loves rolling a ball to his big brother and having him toss it back.

Photo of Maverick and brother Micah

Maverick, right, and brother Micah.| Photo: Courtesy of Adrianna Mashburn

Notes

  1. A life-threatening condition in which abnormal amounts of fluid build up in a fetus or newborn.
  2. Congenital pulmonary airway malformation is a life-threatening birth defect.
  3. Darrell Cass, MD, is Director of Fetal Surgery.
  4. With EXIT (ex-utero intrapartum treatment)-to-resection surgery, Maverick was partially delivered via C-section. Before the umbilical cord was cut, Dr. Kass and his team successfully removed the mass from Maverick’s lung.