NOVEMBER2020 2021 NOVEMBER
Family Story
The Hoffart Family Melissa and Steven Hoffart had been married for 12 years when they learned they were expecting. Melissa received prenatal care in their town of Minot, North Dakota. All was well until her routine 28-week appointment, when complications were discovered. The Hoffarts immediately went to the hospital, where Melissa was diagnosed with an extreme case of preeclampsia—a dangerous complication characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy. In the whirlwind of this news, their baby girl was delivered by emergency c-section a few days later. Although her due date was December 31, 2019, Alexis Medora Hoffart was born on October 12. She
48 Nights
weighed one pound, two ounces, and measured just 11 inches long, roughly the size of a 24-week old baby. Alexis spent the next three months in the Trinity Hospital NICU in Minot before transferring to the Sanford Children’s Hospital NICU in Fargo for two more months. Originally, the 270-mile one-way trip to Fargo was only to have a feeding tube placed surgically. The Hoffarts planned to be in Fargo for just a few days; however, once in the NICU, Alexis’s care team identified several new complications including a heart condition, lung issues, and plagiocephaly. It was recommended to Melissa and Steven to apply to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Fargo to save on lodging expenses. For the next 48 nights, they were able to be close to Alexis and have a place to call “home” while in Fargo. “I never would have imagined that there
would be a fully-stocked kitchen and pantry where the food and meals were provided at no cost,” Steven said. “Many volunteers and businesses donated meals as well.” The Hoffarts’ experience at the Ronald McDonald House includes having
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