VIDEO – After Months in Hospital, Baby Goes Home for Christmas: ‘She’s Tiny but Mighty’

Amy Furr

Little Maddie Whipp is about to go home for the first time to West Virginia after showing everyone she is a fighter.

The nearly five-month-old baby is the daughter of Kylen and Lacy Whipp who cannot wait to have their child back where she belongs, WLWT reported Thursday.

After Lacy became pregnant with Maddie in January, it was discovered the baby had doudenal atresia, a blockage in her small intestine, and also tested positive for Down syndrome, a condition where a person has an extra chromosome in their bodily make up.

The report continued:

Maddie was referred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to see about surgery to repair her duodenal atresia. In that same timeframe, Maddie, still in utero, was found to have hydrops fetalis, which is where there is fluid retention in the body. Maddie’s lungs were found to have collapsed due to fluid in her lungs. Her neonatal care team tried unsuccessfully to insert a shunt to drain her lungs.

It was believed she had a less than one percent chance of survival even if she made it through the delivery process, therefore, the couple began making funeral arrangements.

However, Kylen said their local high risk care provider eventually contacted them and explained her hydrops seemed to be improving.

To their surprise and joy, the little girl made her debut in late July and did not show signs of hydrops. Maddie was then transported to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to undergo intestinal repair surgery and doctors found more problems with her intestine, airway, and heart.

But despite all the surgeries, Maddie has continued fighting for her life and improves as the days go by.

The family was recently told they could take her home months earlier than they initially thought with minor respiratory support and a feeding tube if she needs to use it.

“Just a quick update — Our girl is coming home! Best Christmas EVER,” Lacy wrote Thursday on the Facebook page that describes Maddie as “tiny but mighty.”

In a post on Friday, Lacy told followers, “I received a message from someone in Nebraska this morning that instantly brought me to tears.”

“She explained that her pregnancy was very similar to mine and that Maddie’s story is giving her hope. I can’t help but think this is all part of God’s plan. Although idk why he thinks I’m a good advocate. I can’t tell Maddie’s story without crying,” she stated.

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