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7/18/12 blog post

we are on our way!

Amelia Cutter - Dayton Children's 2012 All Star

In just a few short days my husband, Todd, and I are going to take our little nine month-old “all star” to Washington DC. It is quite humbling to think that we will be representing so many families that have been recipients of the excellent care we received when Amelia was rushed to Dayton Children’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at just two days old. Thinking back to that time seems so long ago and yet a time of crisis like that also seems just like yesterday.

Todd and I have reflected on our little girl’s first week and remembered the rush of emotions that we felt: sadness, fright, pain and anxiety along with the joy we felt from being first time parents. In the midst of our personal chaos we were also surrounded by so many calm, caring and talented people. We will always remember the kindness of the nurses at Dayton Children’s and the confidence we had in the care our daughter received from the numerous specialists that were keeping track of her symptoms and treatment.

As it turns out being surrounded by the talented caregivers at Dayton Children’s hasn’t stopped for us. Amelia has a congenital heart defect known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Her little heart has an extra pathway that causes her heart rate to shoot through the roof. With the excellent treatment she receives, we are confident that she remains in good hands and because of the specialists at Dayton Children’s she is, well, a normal little kid.

While we enjoy her being so normal, we are forever grateful the quick thinking doctors and nurses were able to get her there. With that in mind we are excited to be on our way to Family Advocacy Day to share more of our story and why funding for children’s health care is vital to the future of our region and our country.

Over fifty years ago Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” We can only hope that our words and effort make an impact on upholding the morality of our society.

-Sara Cutter

Read Amelia’s full story of her stay in the Dayton Children’s NICU