It's not often you hear parents whose pregnancy was perfectly normal speak in terms of angels and miracles. But that is precisely the language Kallie and Dallin Anderson of Bountiful, Utah, use when they talk about their son, Coast, and the indelible role Holy Cross Hospital – Davis played in his life.
Their story, full of unexepected drama, could have taken a tragically different turn.
Kallie's first pregnancy was a picture of normalcy. The delivery itself was unremarkably smooth, or so it seemed. But within hours of Coast's arrival, the world tilted.
He began to crash.
Jessica Steele, a nurse who had been present at his birth, felt a jolt of shock when she stepped into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) just two hours later, after assisting with another delivery.
"I knew he was really, really sick," she said, remembering Coast, surrounded by a vigilant team of her colleagues, fighting for every breath.
The answer to why he was suddenly sick wouldn't come for a few more agonizing hours.
Coast had contracted Group B strep (GBS) during birth. Kallie had tested negative - a "false negative" that harbored a hidden danger. Unknown to anyone, a silent, deadly infection had taken root and was ravaging Coast’s tiny body with severe sepsis.
Dallin recalls the growing anxiety, feeling that something was terribly wrong.
But amidst their fear, the Holy Cross staff remained a beacon of calm and control. They moved with a focused precision, buffering the raw edges of the Andersons’ concerns.
Kallie remembers Nurse Jessica's profound advocacy, not just for Coast's medical needs, but for their spiritual ones, too. It was Jessica who gently but firmly ensured Dallin he could give his son a priesthood blessing.
"She made it like her mission, that she's like, 'I'm going to give them the opportunities to do what they want to do with their baby, because this is their baby,'" Kallie recalled through tears.
This became a moment of profound comfort in the storm. After more heart-stopping hours of intensive treatment, the stark reality set in: Coast still needed more.
The physician made the call.
Coast required an immediate transfer to Primary Children’s Hospital for ECMO, a life-support treatment that was his last, best hope.
As they prepared Coast for transfer, Kallie remembers the genuine empathy they received: "As we were leaving, they were saying like, 'we're going to continue to pray for him and pray for you guys.' And that meant a lot."
Added Dallin: "There are angels in the NICU."
After a few weeks of relentless fighting, Coast, the tiny warrior, prevailed and the Andersons were able to take him home.
One year later, on Coast’s first birthday, the Andersons returned to Holy Cross Hospital – Davis to celebrate their little miracle and express their profound gratitude to the staff.
"If I had chosen a different nearby hospital, Coast likely wouldn’t have made it," Kallie said. "They don’t have a Level III NICU."
She credits a powerful mother’s intuition for guiding her to Holy Cross Hospital – Davis, adding, "It's hard to even comprehend that that's the same person now. He's happy, healthy, and he has more energy than we do."
"Our lives would be completely different now if we wouldn't have gone to the Davis hospital and had the story that we so gratefully get to have."
Learn more about our Birth Center and NICU at Holy Cross Hospital - Davis.
