Becoming a Miracle Mom

Stacey Skrysak is a television news anchor in Springfield, Ill., but her proudest role is being called a mom. In 2013, her pregnancy became public when she and her husband announced they were expecting triplets. Health complications caused Stacey to go into labor, delivering her triplets at nearly 23 weeks gestation. Each baby weighed just over a pound. Her daughter, Abigail, passed away a few hours after birth. Her son, Parker, died in the NICU just shy of two months old. Her lone survivor spent nearly four months in the NICU and is doing well today. As a “22 week-er”, Peyton is the youngest baby to survive at St. John's Children's Hospital, the Skrysaks’ member CMN Hospital.

By Stacey Skrysak

Becoming pregnant with triplets was a complete shock! As we embarked on fertility treatments, we knew twins could be a reality, but even our doctor was surprised when the ultrasound showed two identical girls and a boy.  We weren’t scared, instead we were elated to finally become parents.

But, I soon learned that all pregnancies don’t go as planned. Instead of enjoying the baby kicks, I was praying for a miracle as my body experienced a number of complications. On June 23^rd, my triplets were born at 22 weeks, not even considered viable by most hospitals in the United States.

What was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives, quickly turned into tragedy. After our first daughter passed away, our two survivors were whisked away to the NICU. It’s a place I never knew much about, but it quickly became our home. We spent hours each day sitting beside Parker and Peyton’s isolettes, reading books and talking to them. We watched as nurses cared for our babies and panicked as we saw the alarms ring.

As the weeks went by, Peyton was getting stronger, but it became apparent that Parker was fighting a difficult battle. On August 16^th, we said goodbye to our son as he joined his sister in Heaven.

Peyton continued to thrive in the NICU. She came home on oxygen when she was about 4 months old. Her nurses nicknamed her “Diva” her first week of life, thanks to early signs of a big personality. We’re often reminded by her doctors that she was a fighter from day one and that’s why she’s here with us today.

The NICU life was difficult, but my husband and I always remained positive. We didn’t google every medical setback; we knew that our children were in excellent hands and we fully trusted their doctors and nurses. It’s common for a preemie to take one step forward and then two steps back, but we embraced every moment. We tried to make memories with Parker and Peyton, even more so when we learned how sick our son was. We took videos and pictures to capture every milestone and we allowed ourselves to laugh as we balanced out the tears and uncertainty of our children’s futures.

More than two years later, the NICU is a distant memory, but overall a fond one. We love to visit the doctors and nurses at St. John’s Children’s Hospital and show how far our miracle child has come. People often ask me how I can return to a hospital where two of my children died. I’ve experienced the worst days of my life there, but my husband and I choose to celebrate our triplets, not dwell on what was out of our hands.

St. John’s gave my children a chance at life when many other hospitals wouldn’t. The staff became family to us, and they still are to this day. Sure, there are days where I can’t get out of bed because of the heartache, but grief changes over time. You don’t ever get over or move on from the death of a child, but you learn how to move forward in life. You find your “new normal”, and become comfortable with tearing up at a moment’s notice. And those days of hysterical tears turn into tears of laughter as you reminisce over the memories of your angel. For us, we find ways to incorporate Parker and Abby into our everyday lives. Peyton’s bedroom is filled with special memories, from shadow boxes filled with hospital keepsakes, to their footprints framed on the wall.

While every family copes differently, I found that sharing our story has helped us in more ways than we ever imagined. Through my blog, “Perfectly Peyton”, I’ve become a voice for child loss, preemies and infertility. I know that my family is helping others by sharing our journey, and the wonderful feedback we receive, helps us heal. Through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, we’re able to celebrate our surviving triplet, while honoring our two angels.

We share our story during the annual CMN Hospitals Radiothon and we watch Peyton thrive as she dances with college students at our local CMN Hospitals Dance-a-thon.

Peyton is the epitome of a Miracle Child. She was given little chance of survival, yet she has overcome every hurdle that comes her way. And while the past 2 ½ years have been bittersweet, we consider ourselves lucky: we have one beautiful miracle here on earth and two precious angels guiding our way from above. 

Funds from Children's Miracle Network Hospitals helped purchase Kangaroo Chairs and Giraffe OmniBeds that help kids like Peyton in the NICU thrive.