This is still the hardest part of the story to tell.
The story of my girl born way-too-soon, weighing way-too-little.
Andie, 11/27/2000. 1 lb., 11 ons
Because this is the point in the story where we let our guard down.
Where we actually let ourselves believe that our girl’s prematurity was behind her; that we were in the clear.
Andie’s 2nd birthday
It’s the hardest part of the story to tell because we finally met that other shoe that I’d kept waiting to drop ever since we left the NICU.
And it’s even harder to tell because I don’t want to scare you.
I want you to understand that this is our story; our path. That it was what was supposed to happen to us, not you.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably already living with enough fear in your life, and probably well aware of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). And you’re probably also well aware that there is a preventative medicine available for our vulnerable children. And perhaps like me, you have found that the insurance company will fight you tooth and nail before they approve payment for that vital medicine.
I fought the first year.
And she got the shots.
The insurance company told me then that there was no way she would need the shots the second year. They said that preemies are no longer vulnerable in their second year. So I didn’t even try. I had done exactly what they had hoped I’d do. I’d given up.
And I’d thought we were in the clear.
But we weren’t.
Andie came down with RSV in January of her second year. We hadn’t known her lungs were still so vulnerable because they’d never really been tested. Once at home from the NICU, she was basically in lock down and had never even had a cold.
Looking back, I know now that it was supposed to happen as it happened; that our daughter contracted RSV, because it was then that I finally found my voice. It was then that I looked a doctor straight in the eye and said, “No way. You will find our daughter a bed at one of the best Boston Hospitals and you won’t stop trying until you do.”
And he did.
And she was out of the hospital within two days.
And I now know that it all played out as it was supposed to, I only wish I’d found my voice sooner and told the insurance company that “No” wasn’t an option.
Our premature story began 11 years ago. Since that time, I’ve been told that some insurance companies have changed their standards of practice in regard to RSV, and are approving Synagis shots for second year preemies and sometimes even into a preemie’s third and even forth year, depending on the circumstances. Be sure to find out what’s relevant for your child and possibly gear up to put your voice to the test.
Here is a link that will help you write a Synagis appeal letter if you find yourself headed down that path.