A premature baby, born so tiny his hand was smaller than his dad’s fingertip, is finally home and healthy after a year in the hospital.
Gabriel Golden was born weighing one pound in September 2024 after just 22 weeks gestation.
He endured nearly a year in the Vanderbilt NICU in Nashville, Tennessee, battling chronic lung disease and multiple infections before his parents Caroline and Garreth were finally able to bring their son home three months ago.
Little Gabriel still faces respiratory challenges, but is thriving developmentally.
“It was amazing that somehow, even though his finger was so small, I could feel his grip,” said his father Garreth.
“The strength those tiny fingers held left me speechless.”
Caroline started hemorrhaging 14 weeks into the pregnancy, and for a harrowing eight weeks, doctors warned daily that she could miscarry at any moment.
She recalls bleeding constantly while on bed rest and stuck at home. When at 18 weeks, Caroline’s water broke. The preemie wasn’t considered viable, so the couple waited in limbo until 22 weeks, when Caroline was hospitalized with hopes of buying more time for their son’s development.
The medical team presented stark statistics—and the numbers were devastating: a less than five percent survival rate, with greater than 90 percent odds of neurological problems, heart defects, and vision or hearing loss.
“The biggest thing is that their lungs are barely developed,” Caroline said.
At 22 weeks and four days, Caroline went into labor during an emergency situation that put both their lives at risk. Garreth watched helplessly as medical staff rushed his wife to surgery.
“They’re having her sign paperwork that she could die from the surgery,” recalled Garreth, who spent a lot of time “not knowing what to think or what to do.”
Against all odds, Gabriel was able to use the breathing tube and survived.
But he still had to battle severe broncho-pulmonary dysplasia—a chronic lung disease that left his lungs scarred and rigid. The couple said goodbye to their son on three separate occasions during his first six weeks of life.
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Multiple pneumonia infections also set him back, and doctors eventually determined he would need a tracheostomy to survive.
Throughout the ordeal, Garreth traveled three hours each way to his job, continuing to work so they could pay their bills and Caroline tried to maintain a bedside vigil.
Their church community provided financial support, and four primary nurses at Vanderbilt became like family during Gabriel’s extended stay. “We couldn’t have done it without them,” Caroline said.
“One nurse specifically was with us for nine and a half months. I personally couldn’t have done it without her.”
Caroline, who had always dreamed of being a mother, says the experience transformed the couple’s faith and perspective on life.
“I was thrust into a situation where my faith was the only thing I had to cling to. Now it’s stronger than I ever thought it could be.”
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While Gabriel is home, he still requires a tracheostomy and faces respiratory challenges, but there’s good news, too.
“By the grace of God, Gabriel is completely developmentally appropriate, and has no brain issues,” Caroline told SWNS news agency.
“Other than his lungs, his body is in wonderful working condition.”
The experience gave Garreth a new perspective when he walked through the children’s hospital and saw other families facing their own battles.
“As complex as Gabriel is—and as precious as his life is—you walk into Vanderbilt’s Children’s Hospital, and it hits you like a wave of gratitude when you see some of the things going on with these children.”
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