I did my second shoot for NILMDTS today at Duke University Hospital. I was called at 2pm, but knew I couldn’t get there until 4:30pm, so my contact tried the other 5 participating photographers. Unfortunately, she got voice mail for all and called me back and I left work and went to do the photography. I didn’t have a bit of a problem doing so, just knew I couldn’t get there before 4:30pm.
In this case, the baby was still alive, but I was told they would be removing life support shortly after my arrival. Ouch. 🙁 Baby Charles was 5 weeks old, but has no expectation for life as he essentially has non functioning intestines and the surgeon’s just can’t do anything for him. Poor little guy. 🙁 Mom, Dad and Grandma were there with him.
Grandma did not seem to care for my presence, but Mom wanted me there, so I stayed. I took photos of the baby and family for 1/2 an hour or so and then they disconnected him.
And he just kept on breathing on his own.
The Drs. were AMAZED. Unfortunately, there is no happy ending for this. It’s just that while his body can’t process foods, his heart and lungs were still working and would for several more hours. I hung out in the waiting room for over an hour and a half.
While I was waiting, the parents of the first baby I photographed came in to visit their other daughter (who is doing MUCH better I should add). They immediately recognized me and came over. Dad gave me a hug and Mom just gushed over the photos and thanked me profusely. It was quite amazing actually.
Shortly after, I had several nurses and Doctors coming around and thanking me for serving Duke in this capacity. Talk about an emotional high. Wow.
And then another low. 🙁 I saw a mom and dad go by that I SWORE I recognized, but couldn’t place. Don’t you hate that? As they came out, I heard my name. It’s one of my own customers, a mom to be who was due in January. I was planning to go to them in January. Due to severe medical issues, her baby was born yesterday at 31.5 weeks. 🙁 Now, 31.5w seems horrible to most people, but honestly, it’s not. It is, but it’s not. It sucks big time, but it’s well AFTER the viability concern level.
We chatted for a few minutes and I told her once she’s comfortable again and out of the hospital herself to call me and I’d go to Duke and do a shoot in the NICU (for free) and get her some Christmas photos and then in January, when she comes home officially, we’ll do the “real” stuff just like it is planned. It just sucks that we had to meet like that again. 🙁
I finally had to leave and Baby Charles was still holding his own, so we did some more photographs without all the tubes and such. I put the baby in Dad’s big coat. We wrapped him up on the bed all snuggly. We had him in their hands against a black background. Just more things to let this family remember their preemie.
I have no idea, and don’t know if I’ll ever find out, what happened to this baby after I left, but I know it wasn’t good. There was no chance for him, except to become an angel. So, in my mind, I got to meet an angel tonight, in more ways than one.