Almost 11 weeks before Melissa Winch’s baby’s was due to be born, the police were forced to make a visit to the hospital to see her.
Melissa’s water had broken far sooner than anyone could have expected.
And to make things worse, she developed an infection and needed an acute cesarean section.
After Melissa’s son, Axel, came into the world, the doctors breathed a brief sigh of relief…
When the doctors delivered Melissa’s son, Axel, there were a lot of ifs and buts. The boy only weighed 2 lbs. 12 oz. (2 kg) when he was born.
The doctors weren’t sure if he’d even survive the first week. They explained that Axel wasn’t only born blind and deaf, but also had skeletal problems.
“If he did live, he may have a lifetime of surgeries, pain, immobility and all sorts of disabilities. It was very likely that if he lived the next couple of weeks, he would have a very short lifespan,” Melissa says.
But soon, the doctors discovered that Axel had developed a much more serious problem than blindness and deafness.
It turned out that Axel suffered from a life-threatening condition called necrotizing enterocolitis. It mainly affects premature babies and can destroy the wall of their intestinal wall — effectively giving the child a death sentence.
Axel was flown 250 miles away for an emergency operation. Then as if a miracle, his little body began to heal before the surgery was to take place.
But even though Axel survived, he was far from out of danger.
Melissa and her husband, Adam, stayed by his side for weeks. But eventually, they had no choice but to return to work.
“The first time we left, I cried not all the way home, but majority of the way home. It’s terrible,” Melissa says.
Who would give Axel the tender loving care that had helped him get through his first weeks of life? How would Melissa and Adam know their child was getting the minute-by-minute care he needed?
That’s when the Aurora Police Department stepped in. The department heard about Axel and volunteered to start what they called a “cuddle watch.”
They read him books, sang him songs, cuddled him, rocked him and talked to him all day.
It was just what Axel — and his parents — needed. The officers also made sure to give Melissa and Adam frequent updates about how their son was doing — a huge relief.
“They were people who demonstrated so much love and kindness — it was just a comfort we could not replace,” Adam says.
Finally, three months later, Axel was finally ready to come home. He surprised everyone with his progress and surpassed the expectations of all involved — especially the doctors who didn’t believe he’d survive at all.
“Boy, it’s just heaven to have him home and not be in a hospital,” Adam says.
Axel will continue to need more procedures in the future, but his outlook is bright.
The hospital staff and the police officers who helped cuddle Axel played a major role in the boy’s unexpected and rapid recovery. And he still gets a lot of attention when he returns to the hospital for care.
“Axel is a fighter. We all who stand in support and love of him are too. And God is on his side,” Adam says.
The story of how a Colorado police department came to the rescue when someone in their community needed it the most really touched my heart!
The police officers went to the hospital completely selflessly to help a premature baby survive.
Like and share to pay tribute to these heroes!
