ANNUAL GIVING
Rebecca’s Story
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ne of the worst moments of Rebecca Fletcher’s life was the first time she had to leave South Miami Hospital without her newborn son. Day after day, the heart-wrenching moment was repeated as little Noah fought for his life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “I would stay with him all day,” recalls Rebecca, an information system director for Baptist Health. “When I would leave, I didn’t know if he would be there when I came back the next time.” Despite this agony, she and her husband, Andrew, a Coral Gables paramedic/firefighter, were also grateful. They credited the doctors and nurses for saving Rebecca’s life after she developed suddenonset severe preeclampsia in the midst of what had been a perfectly healthy pregnancy. But with Rebecca’s blood pressure soaring and IV medication not helping, the only option was to perform an emergency C-section.
After she gave birth, Rebecca was taken to the intensive care unit and it would be three days before she saw her son for the first time. A 3-pound, 2-ounce baby, Noah was extremely fragile. At one point, he was not expected to survive. The NICU nurses gave the couple updates around the clock as they cared lovingly for Noah. “It was pretty rough and not something I would wish on anybody,” Rebecca says, “but it was manageable because of the amazing staff in the NICU.” Fast-forward almost a decade: Noah is 9 and his brothers Jonah and Luke are 6 and 3, both born after complication-free pregnancies. The Fletchers are healthy and their lives are full and meaningful — everything the young couple had hoped for when they married 10 years ago. “We’re incredibly grateful as a family,” says Rebecca, a 39-yearold Miami native. “Were it not for the care we got at South Miami Hospital, I would not be here, Noah would not be here and my other children would not be here.”
12 BAPTIST HEALTH FOUNDATION 2020
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4/6/21 7:10 PM
