SARAH   (f) "lady" or "princess" (Hebrew)

nce upon a time there was a little princess named Sarah Baynia Yael who was born to two loving parents.  The little princess was perfect in every way except one... she was born very, very early.  The princess was so small when she was born;  she was the size of a doll.  
She weighed only 1 pound and 12 ounces and measured 12 and 5/8 inches long.  Princess Sarah's parents loved her very much, as did all of her family.  The Princess' Mother and Father came to visit her every day.  They would sing and talk and read to her.  They would touch her and even hold her if they were given permission.  Every day the Princess' parents would pray that she would keep her strength and spirit and that someday she would grow to be strong enough to come home from the hospital.  They made up a song that the little Princess especially liked and they sang it to her softly through the port holes of her plastic isolette (to the tune of "Doe a Deer" from The Sound of Music)...

Sarah Baynia Yael
That is your name
It is very beautiful
and will bring you lots of fame.
You will travel wide and far
You'll catch moonbeams in a jar
You are our shining star
and we love you for who you are!

When Princess Sarah would hear the singing of her Mother and Father, she would smile inside.  How do we know that?  Because there were special monitors placed on her body to measure just that very thing.  High numbers were cause for celebration, and when Sarah was with her parents, the monitor numbers climbed higher and higher!  Everyone was happy with the Princess' progress.  It was slow, but steady... not to say that every day was full of high numbers and weight gain, but everyone tried to think happy thoughts and kept sunshine in their hearts.

One day, the little Princess was not feeling so well.  Her monitors showed how bad she actually felt.   The best doctors in all of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were called to tend to the little Princess.  The news was not good.  An evil spell had been cast... it was called Methacilin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) and it had a hold on the Princess and would not let go!  Because of the evil MRSA, Sarah was moved into her own special room called an "Isolation Room".  It was a private place where Sarah could save up her strength to fight the evil MRSA!  When Mother and Father were told about the spell, they rushed to their precious daughter's side.  They sat by her isolette every day and sometimes all night, too.  Mother and Father were very distraught, but the doctors had a plan.  They would call in the MIGHTY Vancemiacin and the STRONG Gentamiacin to fight the evil MRSA.  Vanc and Gent had their work cut out for them and they had to fight very, very hard, the Princess was getting weaker and weaker.  Finally the day came when Vanc and Gent had done their jobs and the Little Princess slowly grew stronger.  It was a while before her parents could hold their precious daughter again, for her body was filled with wires and IVs and Nasal Cannula which delivered oxygen to her system.  The day did, however come when Sarah was able to lay happily in her Mother and Father's arms.

Again, things were going along smoothly.  The Princess came to like her isolette which by now was filled with family photos and a little plastic Teddy Bear and a little, plastic Hello Kitty.  The Princess also liked it when the Parade came.  Every day there were many nurses and doctors who came by and sometimes an Occupational Therapist, too.  Some days brought Grammy Ruth and Grandpa David who were her Father's parents.  Every Sunday brought Bubbe Clara and Zaide Seymour (her Mother's parents) who would, without fail, sing show tunes, silly songs and end with a Hebrew blessing for health and strength.  On occasion, Sarah saw her Mother's Sister, Brother and Brother-in-law;  Uncle Jack, Auntie Beth and her husband, Uncle Drake.  Sarah was told that she had a brand new Cousin named Joshua (Auntie Beth and Uncle Drake's son) who was born 2 days after she was.   Sarah smiled and laughed inside as she realized that she was older than Joshua, even though she was supposed to be 2 and 1/2 months younger.  The Princess could not wait to come home and meet her new Cousin.

It seemed as if everyone might get their wishes sooner than expected.  All of the special doctors and nurses called a Care Conference for Mother and Father.  The outlook was very good and they said the magic word over and over, "Remarkable... Remarkable..."   Sarah's Parents were very excited but once again, there was something brewing.  

One evening, Mother and Father came for a special visit.  For the first time, Sarah was going to be fed breast milk through a bottle and nipple instead of a gavage tube.  Everyone was thrilled at the news and ready for this special event.  Little did Mother know when she walked into the NICU that the little Princess would also be dressed in clothing for the first time ever!   After scrubbing in and gowning up, Mother hurried to her daughter's room.   Surprise!  Sarah was wearing a beautiful outfit that was fit for a Princess!   After he had parked the car, Father came into the NICU.  Mother could hardly contain her smile when showing Father the surprise.  But suddenly, Mother sensed that something was wrong and that the  little Princess was not feeling well.  After changing the Princess' diaper, Mother found that Sarah was very, very sick.  The doctors used a very big word:  Necrotizing Enterocolitis, but the nurses called it NEC.   Mother and Father knew it was bad, as nurses came in and took Princess Sarah away.   Mother cried and Father looked worried.  Mother said over and over, "If only I would have known... I would have held her tighter, I would have held her longer."  But no one knew until it was too late that the monstrous NEC had a hold of Sarah's intestines and did not want to let go!  Mother and Father called for the best doctors, but there was nothing they could do.  This NEC was horrible and the little Princess would have to go to a new hospital and stay in the Tower of the Children's Hospital Medical Center.  The nurse called for the chariot at once and soon the Princess was taken away.

Mother and Father knew that this was very serious and they called their council.  The Rabbi said, "Tell her to fight!"  But Mother and Father did not want Sarah to suffer.  Then Bubbe and Zaide were called, "What shall we do?" asked Mother and Father but only tears were heard.  Grammy and Grandpa, too, did not know what to do.  And then, all of a sudden, the answer was clear.... PRAYER!  They would all pray for the little Princess and pray they did!  Phone calls were made all over the land, to Jews and to Christians, Catholics and Muslims... and others that were very concerned.   Prayers rose up all over the country in Synagogues, Churches, Temples and in private homes.  The doctors were still not convinced that the little Princess would be alright.  The medicines they were using would take a while to work, but did the Princess have time for that?  No one knew.  And so, Sarah was once again, put on oxygen, covered in wires and had a nasty new addition... the ropogal.  The Princess hated that special tube that was put into her mouth and reached all the way down to her tummy, and she pulled it out whenever she could. 

"What will you do?" asked Mother of the Surgeon.  "Will my daughter live?"
"I do not know," he said to her, "I just do not know."

As the days passed, everyone kept watch over Sarah;  Mother and Father, Bubbe and Zaide, Auntie Beth and many doctors and nurses, too.  Slowly, the medicines began to work and all of the prayers began to be answered.  It was a miracle that the little Princess did not need surgery, only medication to cure her NEC.  "Hooray, " whispered her parents, "Thank you G-d and Angels."

It was a while before the Princess was allowed to be fed again and it took a long time for the wires and tubes to be taken off of her, but finally, she was feeling like her old self again.  Mother and Father asked the doctors when Sarah would be able to come home with them, but no one knew.  It would depend on her weight and growth, her ability to maintain her body temperature.  But, Mother and Father were told to be patient and so they were.   Finally the day came when they were told to "Room In" and take care of Sarah by themselves with no help from nurses.  Mother and Father did so willingly and the next day was pronounced Going Home Day.  Mother and Father were happy, but tired.   It had been 10 very long weeks since the beginning of the journey and they were ready to feel like real Parents.  The Princess was loaded into the car by her favorite nurse, Carla.  Mother and Father hugged Carla goodbye and waved as they drove away.

This would have been the perfect ending, but it is not.  Mother and Father had a big surprise-- NO ONE KNEW THE PRINCESS WAS HOME!!  Mother and Father planned a party and got the family together.  Mother was holding the Princess with her away from everyone else.  At the perfect moment (facilitated by nosy Auntie Beth trying to snoop!) Mother brought the Princess Sarah out to see everyone.  Smiles were wide and tears were happy as Bubbe, Zaide, Grammy, Grandpa, Auntie Beth, Uncle Drake and little Cousin Joshua welcomed the Princess Sarah home.

Although many stories end with "They lived happily ever after" this tale does not.  There was much Early Intervention, sign language and months of isolation for the little Princess.   Mother and Father had to be very careful with whom they let get close to the Princess.  Evil Germs were easily passed and Sarah was not ready to battle them herself.  With time and strength, luck and blessings, the Princess began to grow.  

Princess Sarah is now nearly four years old.  Although, in the past, she had troubles gaining weight and growth, she is doing very well!  Princess Sarah is still petite for her age, she is "catching up" in her growth and you would never know she was born so small.   Mother and Father are very proud of Princess Sarah who is very bright, smart, inquisitive, beautiful and very, very friendly.

The rest of this website is devoted to Sarah and you will see many beautiful pictures of her.  As time passes, Mother and Father continue to remember how precious their little Princess is.   They believe very strongly that "When you are touched by a miracle, you should share it with the World."  Mother and Father keep in their minds that others are just starting the journey as they once did and that those people need love, support, prayers and miracles of their own.  

There is no "The End", for every ending is the beginning of the next journey.