Keeping Danae Close to Home with Pediatric Critical Care in Missoula

We go so very lucky that Danae was delivered at a hospital that could handle her at birth. On day 4 of life, she surpassed their support and needed a life-saving surgery. In July 2014, there were no pediatric surgeons in Missoula and we were transported to Seattle. One year, later CMC hired a pediatric surgeon, so families like ours wouldn’t be separated again.

While Seattle Children’s Hospital is absolutely the best place to be when Danae needed advanced life-saving care, it is never a place I like being – far from home. At CMC, we are never a number, we are family.

We have been transported to Seattle by air three times because Dane would surpass CMC’s pediatric support due to respiratory failure, living in Seattle for months recovering from illness.

This past spring Danae experienced respiratory failure again due to the common cold. She was intubated and placed on ventilation support. When this happens Danae needs critical expert care. Had this happened in December of 2017, we would have been sent to Seattle. However, CMC has made the amazing (and very costly) move to add two pediatric critical care physicians to the pediatric intensive care unit to support the current staff so our family could stay in Montana.

As a mother that has spent 239 days and nights living in a hospital due to my daughter’s health, we are pleased we can now stay in Missoula and get the expert care she needs.

– Emily Herndon