Kelson Ray Kuipers

As most of you know, Krista and I were expecting the arrival of a son around June 28. Little did we know, God had different plans. Last weekend, Krista had noticed the little "kick boxer" wasn't moving as much as he had been the past several weeks. Although the doctor wasn't too concerned, she advised Krista to have a "non-stress test" to measure the baby's activity, and put our worrying minds at ease. On Wednesday April 25, we went to the OB department at Gibson City Area Hospital (GAH) for the test. The baby's heartbeat was strong, but activity was not. This was followed by an ultrasound. As the tech was finishing the test, our doctor, Dr. Austman had arrived. I knew immediately by the look on her face that she was concerned. We were told that the baby had fluid on his lungs, and we could potentially need a c-section soon, even though the baby was only 31 weeks. The started Krista on an IV, and started administering steroids for the baby's lungs. The remainder of the day is kinda a blur. The nurses began moving much more rapidly. I called Kristas parents, and my parents, so that everyone could be on standby. We were then notified that the neo-natal team from Carle was being flown in, and Krista was being prepped for surgerry. I was able to scrub in, to be by Kritas side during the surgery. I had just enough time to call our pastor, Liz, and send our parents a frantic text message. The moment the Carle team was in place, the GAH team began the c-section. The baby was delivered, and taken next door where the Carle team began working on him. I was able to meet my son, Kelson Ray, and squeeze his hand. He was very purple, and incredibly swollen. There were people everywhere so I sat in a chair just within view, but out of the way. Things got pretty scary, so I was able to have Pastor Liz come sit with me and pray. I needed someone strong to help me stay calm. The main flight nurse was acting frustrated, so she made a phone call to get another opinion. I heard her say "ok, I'll try" and hung up the phone. Whatever advice she was given on the phone apparently worked. She had been able to release some fluid off of Kelsons lungs, and his heart rate started to rise....hope. I went back to give Krista an update. It still amazes me how strong she was throughout this entire process. After all she had just went through, she had yet to shed a tear and just kept smiling that beautiful smile. The got Krista cleaned up, and wheeled her to recovery. The plan was to pack Kelson up in the portable incubator, and roll him down for Krista to see. However, after putting him in the incubator, his stats started to drop and he was back on the table getting chest compressions. They sent a wheelchair, along with three strong male paramedics, down the hallway to get Krista, since she was still numbed from the surgery. Krista was able to meet Kelson, just before they packed him up the second time into the incubator. Kelson was then taken to the helicopter and airlifted to Carle. I am amazed at how well the medical staff from both hospitals worked so calmly and efficiently. The cooperation, consideration, and compassion from everyone involved was truly inspiring. I will be forever telling the doctors and nurses "Thank You". I was able to get dressed, and spend a few minutes with Krista, before leaving to go be with Kelson. I hated to leave her, but her parents, brother, and "sister" Ria were there to take care of her. I needed to be with our son. Pastor Liz was able to drive me to champaign, which was a great help. Once I arrived at Carle, I was met by our dear friend Amy Rademaker. Amy was able to guide me to the NICU. My parents, and another great friend Marla were waiting there. I was able to go back to the restricted area, and taken to a room to meet with the Doctor. The doctor said a lot, but I really only heard two things...he is stable, but critical. That was all I needed to hear. Kelson was alive so there was still hope. I was able to go back and see him, hold his hand, and let him know I was there. They had to do some major work, so I then had to go back to the waiting room. I suddenly realized I had not even had anything to drink since about 10:30 am. It was almost 5 pm, the previous 6+ hours had seemed like an hour at most. I drank some water, and was brought a bowl of soup. About an hour later, my parents, and I went back to see Kelson. The nurse explained everything that they had done. He was still very swollen, but when I compared it to the picture I took at GAH, it was obvious he had made huge progress. Kristas Mom, Dad, and Brother came, and I was able to take her parents back to meet their grandson. After spending some more time in the waiting room, it was decided that my mom would stay with me at Carle, and Kristas mom would go back to GAH to spend the night with her. Kristas Aunt Kathi and Uncle Kenneth came and were able to go get me some food to have overnight. I didn't really sleep, but was able to get a little rest overnight. Today, thursday, has been long, but good. We learned that Kelson has a syndrome known as HYDROPS, which means he has excessive fluid and swelling all throughout his body. The cause of this is still unknown. He remains steady, which is a good sign. Krista was released from GAH at about 2PM. It was rough on her to see Kelson, but she is staying strong. We were able to have Pastor Liz do a baptism, and pray for God to continue to give Kelson the strength to fight. The staff here at Carle has been amazing as well. We are getting to stay in a private room within about 20 steps of Kelsons bed. Krista has been asleep for about an hour, and I am going to join her soon. I know this has been a long rambling, but I wanted to answer everyone's questions. Kelson is critical, and just needs to rest and gain as much strength as possible. I will continue to provide everyone with updates on here as we get them. Feel free to call or text...but most importantly, Pray. Thank you to all for the support!