‘Mighty Mia,’ Powell couple’s infant granddaughter survives against daunting odds

Posted 3/3/15

Her parents, Dave and Lisa Kennedy, learned in October that an ultrasound showed that one of her kidneys was severely malformed, and the other was just a sliver of what it should have been.

After diagnosing those problems on the ultrasound, …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

‘Mighty Mia,’ Powell couple’s infant granddaughter survives against daunting odds

Posted

Mighty Mia earned her nickname when she was only hours old. 

That’s when she defied the odds and lived, despite doctors’ belief that she had absolutely no chance to survive.

Her parents, Dave and Lisa Kennedy, learned in October that an ultrasound showed that one of her kidneys was severely malformed, and the other was just a sliver of what it should have been.

After diagnosing those problems on the ultrasound, doctors in Billings and Denver “pretty much told me ... chances of survival were slim to none,” Lisa said Monday. “Our OB doctor was the only one that was a Pollyanna,” offering some hope for a better outcome.

Even if the baby did survive dialysis would be needed, and ultimately, a kidney transplant, doctors said. But most offered little hope. 

“Some said deliver at 32 weeks and end the hurt,” she said. “Dave and I never even considered that.”

Lisa’s labor was induced on Jan. 8, at 38 weeks at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, because the baby wasn’t growing properly.

The Kennedys live in Billings. Lisa is the daughter of Scott and Barb Horton of Powell, who were on hand for the birth at St. Vincent Hospital, along with Dave’s parents and other family members. Lisa’s sister, Allison Horton, lives in Boston and planned to fly to Billings the following day.  

As soon as Mia was born at 5:15 p.m., it was apparent she wasn’t doing well. The neonatologist put her on a ventilator, then two or three hours later, she told the Kennedys that Mia’s lungs had collapsed because they were full of holes. The respirator was just blowing air through her lungs.

“Every test they did was poor,” Scott said.

The doctor showed the family X-rays of the baby’s lungs and told them there wasn’t much she could do. She contacted doctors at Children’s Hospital in Denver and asked about sending Mia there for specialized care. 

Their answer: She would not survive the flight. 

The only other alternative was unbelievably painful for the Kennedys: disconnect the baby’s life support and hold Mia close to them until she died.

“We were just so numb and heartbroken,” Lisa said. “I don’t know if there are words for that kind of pain.”

After taking turns holding Mia, the Hortons left at about 11:45 p.m to give the Kennedys time alone with her. Mia’s life support was disconnected just after midnight.

“They said in about 20 minutes or so, she would pass,” Barb said. 

Lisa and Dave took turns holding the baby. 

“It was horrible,” Lisa said. “The hardest part was just waiting for her to die. It was just dragging on and on.”

In the meantime, Allison was desperately trying to get a flight to Billings. “I really thought I was going to come home for a funeral,” she said. 

At the Kennedys’ home in Billings, the Hortons were waiting for word that Mia was gone. 

“We did not sleep,” Scott said. “We were basically waiting to hear of her passing. It went all night, and we thought, “Gosh, it’s weird that we haven’t heard anything.’”

Then, a text from Lisa came at 5:30 a.m.: “She’s still alive. No urine but she’s so beautiful and peaceful. She just loves to be swaddled and held,” the text said. “Her color is great, she just looks like a healthy newborn. I don’t understand.”

A fresh look, a new chance

Three times that night, Dave and Lisa asked doctors to re-evaluate Mia’s condition. “They just kept saying we were prolonging the inevitable,” Lisa said. 

When they returned to the hospital at about 7:30, “she was still breathing on her own and had great color,” Scott said. 

“I picked up the phone and said, ‘I want the neonatologist back here,’” Barb said. 

This was a different neonatologist, who said he had looked over the results from the night before and saw no reason to perform more tests. 

“He explained to us that babies die different than adults, and it can take up to 24 hours,” Barb said. 

“But we didn’t like that,” Scott said. “We just asked for a re-evaluation.”

The doctor agreed to do another blood-gas test to determine how much oxygen her blood contained. “It came back normal; it was terrible the night before,” Scott said. 

The doctor later told Scott, “I have been a doctor for many years, and I have never seen anything like this.”

“You could tell, he was just as dumbfounded as I was,” Scott said. 

The doctor immediately got on the phone. “At one point, he had a phone on each ear,” Scott said. Within a few hours, Mia was flown to Denver Children’s Hospital, where a new X-ray showed Mia’s lungs had healed. 

Allison boarded a flight to Denver instead of going to Billings.

out with Mia’s care, both while she was in a Denver

hospital and now that she’s back at home. The Hortons

are familiar to many area residents through their

longtime association with Northwest College. Barbara

was an equine instructor at NWC for many years, and

her husband, Scott, is the NWC instructional

technology coordinator. Mia’s mother, Lisa, and her

aunt Allison both graduated from Powell High School

and NWC.

“I’m a medical social worker, so I was able to help with terminology,” as well as providing needed emotional support, Allison said. 

Mia was put on oxygen during her flight to Denver, and remained on oxygen for only one day after arriving at the hospital, Allison said. Meanwhile, doctors evaluated Mia’s kidneys. 

“She started producing urine, which they didn’t expect at all,” Allison said.

However, Mia’s kidney doesn’t handle potassium well, so her milk is treated to remove potassium. Mia drinks what she is able and receives the remainder through a feeding tube.

Mia was released from Denver Children’s Hospital on Feb. 5, four weeks after her arrival — far short of the projected two to three months. She is home with her parents and sister Madelynn.

After weighing just 4 pounds at birth, Mia has gained weight and now weighs 5 pounds. 

Lisa said doctors believe Mia will need dialysis when she gets bigger and starts eating more, putting a bigger burden on her kidney. While Lisa knows that might happen, she’s not discounting the possibility that Mia will surprise them all again. 

There are additional challenges as well. Audiological tests showed Mia also is deaf. She will be fitted with hearing aids at 3 months.

Genetic testing revealed Mia has Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome, which often affects kidneys and hearing, and can cause other abnormalities. 

But in Mia’s case, “the rest of her organs are perfectly formed, and her brain looks great,” she said. “We won’t know how she is cognitively until she’s a little bit older, but she’s making eye contact and doing things we would hope she would do. Her muscular tones looks great, and she’s incredibly strong.”

Allison said being a part of Mia’s journey “has absolutely shifted the way I tend to view life and the way I look at what’s important,” she said. “It’s been an honor to see it unfold and to watch something so miraculous. She’s been a miracle baby, for sure.”

“It truly is a miracle that that baby is here with us,” Barb said. “It was the hand of God. I don’t know how many prayer warriors were praying for this child.”

Lisa said Mia is a gift, and her experience “definitely strengthened my faith. I look at life as way more precious; I enjoy every minute.”

She recalls some doctors’ advice to induce labor at 32 weeks “to end the hurt.”

“I think about that a lot when I look at Mia,” she said.

Students in the Photo Theme Seminar class at Northwest College invite the local community to view and bid on pieces of fine art photography to help finance medical costs for “Mighty Mia,” infant granddaughter of Scott and Barbara Horton of Powell. 

Their photographs are displayed along with bid forms through Friday in the SinClair Gallery at Northwest. The auction ends at 5 p.m. Located in the Orendorff Building, the gallery will be open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. this week.

Those interested in Mia’s progress can join Mighty Mia Facebook group by emailing Scott Horton at Scott.Horton@nwc.edu or Lisa Kennedy at LaKennedy85@gmail.com.

Comments