This was a long hard battle. I would do it a hundred times over for the life of my baby. Elisha is a fighter, and I'm proud to say that. I think this helped him through it all. Today, he will be 15 in September.

Today, she thrives and still beats all odds. My baby is 2 now, but she's still our Tiny Hero.

After being born with LCDH and having his intestines, bowel, and spleen up. After 2 ECMO runs, repair surgery, nissen and a g-tube done Carmello is now a 10 year old, 4th grader, and a straight A student.

You wouldn't know what he has been through looking at him. This kid is the life of the party. He is our survivor, our CDH warrior, our Tiny Hero.

Even after all Aiden has been through he is still a bright, sweet, imaginative and inspirational little boy! We have talked to him numerous times regarding CDH and his surgery. He knows what his abdominal scar means and what Dr. Kays means to him. We are so blessed and thankful for every day with our Tiny Hero!

We went home with more questions than we had going to that appointment. In a short amount of time, we learned what we could about this life-threatening birth defect. We also learned that Pediatric Surgeon Dr. David Kays had one of the highest survival rates in the world for a congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair.

To most outsiders, CDH is ‘limiting’, but for me, it is the complete opposite. My CDH drives me to do well in school, and because I was lucky enough to have an amazing doctor like Dr. Kays, I am able to pursue all of the things that I love to do, things that most people would be surprised that I am able to do.

At 7 years old, now Breanne has beaten all the odds. She makes me a better mom and person everyday and never gives up, no matter the obstacle.

We truly believe Lucy Jane is our little miracle, and we know that God has used her and her story to share His love to a lot of people.

Jim Beau was on the ventilator for 13 days and on oxygen for about 30 days. Thankfully, Jim Beau was a model CDH patient. The nurses called him “the CDH baby who doesn’t know he is a CDH baby.”

At that moment, I did not care if my child was a boy or a girl; I didn’t care about my classroom; and I didn’t care how I was going to fit a baby into the mix. I was sad; I hurt, but I was going to fight. Julie did share with us we were having a boy, and Jon was so excited. His words were, “Yes! A football player.” My words, “I just want him to live.”

After 81 long days in the hospital, Noah was finally able to go home. He was on oxygen for 11 months, had surgery to correct relux at 9 months, heart surgery to repair an open PDA at 10 months, and lots of oral meds for the first year.

Emma is now 15 years old and a Sophomore in High School. She is doing extremely well all around! She plays on her high school’s JV tennis team in the fall and plays indoor tennis in the winter.

Jude has continued to thrive through the years, doing great at school and even trying out soccer and swimming (the things we never imagined possible!) He is turning 12 next month and starting middle school this upcoming school year. We are so proud of him!

We were very excited but also nervous about the health of our baby. It wasn’t our focus, but strangely enough, it was always in the back of our mind.

He’s 6 years old, has a blue belt in taekwondo, and enjoys swimming, singing and reading. We’ve lost count of the number of people that say there’s something special about him… but we know there is. He’s a CDH survivor.

She is now a healthy, happy, perfect 7-year-old. She's smart, kind, observant, and has a gentle soul. She is our miracle and our joy!

He also endured many complications during his 92-day NICU stay. At 7 days old, he had an intestinal perforation; at 3 weeks old, he suffered a pulmonary hemorrhage; and at 2 months old, he had a horrible infection. We know that it is because of God and the skills he has given Dr. Kays that we are able to enjoy our son and watch him grow, despite all the challenges he faced early on.

Hazel had her repair surgery at 9 days old. Dr. Kays said her hole was huge. She had a full right lung and a nub for a left lung. He told us how Hazel really was a unique one. She ended up being bi-lateral, which is obviously the worst case, but had the best type of hernia to have a Morgagni hernia (an opening through the front instead of the back).

The CDH rollercoaster is rough, but you just have to keep your eyes on the prize: taking your baby home. After 134 days and having the Nissen procedure and a G-tube placed, she left the hospital on oxygen. One of the best parts? Her exit MRI showed no brain damage!