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The miracle of Myla
Published July 8, 2008
A few hours after Myla was born — and with his wife recovering from the first of two brain surgeries — doctors led Matt Way into the neonatal ward.
His daughter was so tiny, Matt couldn’t see her at first.
“It was 1 a.m. that Friday and we walked up to this bed,” he said. “There was a white sheet and nothing else. The doctor pulled back the sheet and I saw her feet. They were so small. Then he uncovered her head and it struck me as surreal. She was so small.”
About two hours later, with his wife, Tara Way, still unconscious in recovery, doctors allowed Matt back in to see their daughter.
“Everything was so quiet. It was even kind of peaceful,” he said. “Even though she had all kinds of wires and IVs, and in the stress of all that had happened, I thought, ‘Wow, God. This is your creation. That’s part of me and Tara laying there.’
“The first thing I noticed was her lips,” Matt Way said. “Tara has beautiful lips, and Myla has her lips. It was awesome.”
Pregnancies are measured in weeks and months, but Myla Faith Way was born within days of the time when odds of survival go from poor to better than half.
Even so, she didn’t start breathing as full-term babies do, so medical professionals had to begin that process by squeezing a rubberized bag to force air into Myla’s lungs.
“She was sick but rallied very quickly,” said Dr. Karen Shattuck, who treated Myla.
Had Tara Way been even one week behind where she was in her pregnancy, Myla’s odds would have been much worse, said Dr. Joan Richardson, director of pediatrics for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where Myla will remain until at least mid-August.
“At less than 24 weeks gestation, the survival rate is very poor,” Richardson said. “Between 24 and 26 weeks, survival is about 50 percent.”
For premature babies born at 26 weeks or more, the survival rate is 90 percent, she said.
DESPERATE TIMES
When Tara Way, 24, suffered a massive stroke while at work in Angleton on May 29, she was about 26 weeks pregnant with her first child. Neither she nor Matt were certain how far along Tara was since her pregnancy was not confirmed until a month before the stroke.
Otherwise healthy, Tara had developed eclampsia and was in dire condition when she arrived in Galveston, UTMB neonatal nurse Karen Garcia said.
Doctors at UTMB were taking no chances, determining Tara’s body could not heal itself and keep the baby alive.
Tara had one brain surgery to remove a blood clot the night she arrived at the hospital and a second to relieve additional pressure four days later.
In between, Myla came into the world by emergency Caesarean section, weighing just 1 pound, 13 ounces.
As an adult, Tara had a fighting chance and odds in her favor since about 75 percent of all young stroke victims survive, doctors said. Myla needed more immediate and longer-term care. In the confusion and rush of Tara’s emergency brain surgery the night Myla was born, Matt Way had a paralyzing thought.
“As the doctors were hurrying around, asking me all kinds of questions, I thought, ‘There’s a possibility I could be looking at life with just me,’” he said. “If I lost Myla, and I lost Tara … As a father, I don’t want to sound like I don’t love my baby. I do. But I wanted the medical staff to know my first priority was Tara.
“I didn’t want to lose my child,” he said. “But I didn’t want to lose my wife, either.”
IMPROVING EVERY DAY
Within the first three weeks of birth, Myla gained 8 ounces.
Since Myla lost 6 ounces after she was born, down to 1 pound, 7 ounces, any gain is positive, Shattuck said.
At five weeks, she was nearing 3 pounds.
“She’s still considerably less than a full-term baby, but she’s made quite a bit of progress,” Shattuck said. “She’s doing very well.”
A maze of tubes is part of each day. Myla’s enclosed crib holds a toy angel from nurses. She lays on a brightly colored, thick yellow pad, and beside her on a pink mattress are a stuffed tiger and small, stuffed bear.
Her tiny pink hands remain busy, flexing inside her clear plastic isolette. Unable to make sounds due to feeding and breathing tubes in her throat, the infant seems to respond to her parents’ twice-weekly visits with her eyes and with head movements.
Although Myla now is able to breathe on her own, she sometimes “forgets” and the breathing apparatus “reminds” her to do so, Shattuck said. Myla initially was fed through a pair of tubes — one through her naval and the other into her esophagus, through her nose. Within the last week, the abdominal tube was removed since Myla was gaining weight. A tiny mask holding feeding and breathing tubes is placed over the child’s face much of the time.
Because any kind of infection could be fatal, Myla is kept in a controlled environment, similar to intensive care for adults. And since her eyes weren’t fully developed in the womb, she was fitted with a tiny pair of sunglasses. Family members who visit must wash with antibacterial soap before entering.
Doctors and nurses are on constant alert as monitors keep track of Myla’s blood pressure, breathing and movements. Medical personnel also are concerned about internal bleeding, so Myla will remain for six more weeks, when she would have been at full term, Shattuck said.
A pair of ultrasound tests have showed no complications so far, and the infant is beginning to process more baby formula as time goes by. Myla displays the same tenacious qualities as her parents, family friend Vada Rhyne said.
“The staff has nicknamed Myla ‘the miracle baby,’” Rhyne said. “Even with all of the tubes and equipment surrounding her, she truly is a beautiful little miracle. Every hour and every day that passes increases Myla’s chance of survival.”
FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE
With each day, friends and family are more encouraged, said Julie Higgins, who attends The Remnant Church in Lake Jackson, pastored by Matt’s father, Jim Way.
“You could not find a better family on this Earth,” Higgins said. “The people at the hospital are just amazed. They’ve never seen a man who loves his wife more than him, and how he serves her. Everything he does with Tara and Myla just radiates love.”
While visiting Myla is a joy, leaving is more difficult for Tara each time, Matt said.
“It’s not easy,” he said. “She wants to be with Myla every night. … She’s been in tears several times when we drive away.
“Every time she sees Myla, you can see her love for our little girl grow more and more,” Matt Way said. “I just remind her it won’t be long until Myla can come home.”
Daily visits are allowed, except during shift changes, but the four-hour round trip from their home in Sweeny to the Galveston hospital is both difficult and costly for the young couple. Gasoline costs at least $100 per week and parking can cost $15 per day, and Matt and Tara aren’t working right now.
Even though she is surrounded by tubes, monitors and 24-hour care, Myla’s family has no doubt she will eventually be with her parents, said Tara’s mother, Rosemary Kuban of Damon.
“I put my finger in Myla’s hand and she tightened her fist around it,” Kuban said. “It’s so neat how something so small can sense another person’s touch when she’s not even supposed to be here.”
Watching Myla’s progress, Matt agrees.
“I’ve still not gotten a negative report about her,” he said. “It’s all been positive.”
“... A week after Myla was born, a doctor said, ‘Matt, I’ve got to be honest with you. I’m really shocked. Her lungs are more developed than they should be and her blood pressure is fine,’” he said. “I gave her to God and said, ‘They’re both Yours.’ He’s taking care of them both, and it’s awesome.”
Shattuck, too, is pleased with Myla’s progress.
“She’s not had any infections,” she said. “She’s got to grow a lot before she can go home, but I still can’t believe how good she looks. It is a miracle.”
John Lowman covers Angleton for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 849-8581.
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