Our precious son, Matthew, was born prematurely on May 26, 2008.  He weighed only 1 pound 1 ounce and was 11 inches long.  We had hoped and prayed for him for a very long time, and needless to say, we were beyond frightened when he was born at only 25 weeks gestation.  He was so tiny…his skin was translucent, his eyes were sealed shut, and his arms and legs were the size of sticks.  It was a roller coaster ride from the beginning, as we were told it would be…it was the life of a preemie trying to survive.

Dr. Stapley was in the operating room when Matthew was born, and was his first doctor for about the first month of his life.  He took extra time out of his busy schedule each day to fill us with hope and confidence that Matthew would grow stronger and healthier with time, and always had such a calm and reassuring demeanor.  Dr. Stapley, along with all of the Sunflower doctors, helped us remain hopeful as our baby fought for his life.

Throughout all of the 108 days in the Overland Park Regional NICU, we felt the love and support of the most incredible people.  Matthew was in the capable and caring hands of nurses, nurse practitioners, and of course the Sunflower doctors.  Words cannot describe these angels on earth…they offered our family the hope and encouragement that we needed to get through a very scary and stressful time.  We could feel that God was working through these amazing people to give Matthew the best possible chance of survival.

When the day came for us to take our precious baby home in September 2008, it was actually hard to say goodbye.  There were plenty of tears and hugs and many words of thanks for his caregivers.  We were so blessed that he had received the very BEST care.

Matthew is now an incredibly active and healthy 4 ½ year old.  His days in the NICU are a distant memory, but we will never forget.  We cannot thank the Sunflower doctors enough for caring for our little miracle and giving him the best possible chance at life.
Jeremy & Alison Sherman