Care that Saves
AmandaCare
Bearett’s NICU Journey
When Jessi and her fiancé, Chipper, learned at 16 weeks pregnant that their son would be born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), they had never heard of the condition.
“Most people think, ‘Oh, a hernia. No big deal,’” Jessi said. “Then we Googled it, and we were terrified.”
In babies with CDH, the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen, doesn’t fully develop. Without it, organs shift into the chest cavity, leaving little room for the lungs to grow.
When Bearett was born, the severity of his condition quickly became clear. He was immediately admitted to the NICU at Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia, where a specialized team was ready to care for him. His right lung was small. His left lung couldn’t be seen at all. His organs had shifted in unimaginable ways.
“It felt like everything was stacked against him,” Jessi said.
Within hours, Bearett was placed on ECMO, a life-support machine that takes over the work of the heart and lungs. While many babies only need ECMO for a few days, Bearett remained on it for over two weeks as his care team fought to stabilize him.
During that time, surgeons made the difficult decision to repair his diaphragm while he was still on ECMO, which would be a complex and high-risk procedure.
But, it worked.
Just two days after surgery, Bearett came off ECMO, and Jessi held her son for the first time on Mother’s Day.
“He’ll never top this Mother’s Day present,” said Dr. Walter Pipkin, the pediatric surgeon who led the operation.
“I held him for four hours,” she said. “It was such a surreal moment. I was crying. The nurses were crying. It was something I’ll never forget.”
Those intense early days in the NICU—long nights in the hospital, preparing for the worst and holding onto hope when there was little to hold—are over now.
Thriving Eight Years Later
Today, it’s hard to imagine the challenges Bearett faced at the start of his life.
He’s an energetic, happy eight-year-old who loves sports and being a kid. Aside from a few small scars as a reminder of everything he’s overcome, there’s little indication of the battle he fought.
“When you look at him now, it’s crazy to think about those days,” Jessi said. “He’s healthy, he’s active, and he’s just an awesome kid.”
Bearett’s story is a powerful reminder of the life-saving care provided in the NICU at Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia—and the resilience of the smallest patients who defy the odds every day.
