Fa m ily P rof i l e :
Cox
Family Home: West Plains, MO (Howell County) On May 20th, 2017 at 10:46 a.m., Tinsley Rae Cox was born five weeks and five days early due to severe preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. She weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 inches long, and was beautiful in every way possible. Being born so early, Tinsley’s body wasn’t producing enough glucose, and she couldn’t breathe, regulate her own body temperature, or eat on her own. Throughout her four week stay in the Cox South NICU, Tinsley had her ups and downs. Her IVs kept going bad, and her glucose was not stabilizing as quickly as the doctors were hoping for. However, with lots of prayers and time, everything started getting better. In two weeks, she could breathe on her own. Then she started to regulate her body temperature, and her glucose became more stable so that she didn’t need the IVs anymore. She only needed to learn how to eat without her feeding tube. Two more weeks and three different bottle nipples later, Tinsley was finally released to go home. During Tinsley’s duration at the hospital, we (her parents) were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. The people there were beyond amazing to us, and we got to meet other families going through similar journeys and hear their stories. We didn’t feel so alone with everyone’s support. We were very lucky to call the Ronald McDonald House our home for those four long weeks. Cox South Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House were true blessings to our family, and we can never thank them enough for taking care of us in our time of need. Thank You.
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