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During the months of June and July, in the summer of 1994, a life was rescued, born and then sustained for a month and two days by dedicated medical professionals and technology until it was able to survive on its own. I did not know it at the time, but this life, this miracle, would be my new little brother.

It was June 12th and my mother thought her water was leaking; she was only seven months pregnant at the time. My little sister and I were quickly dropped off at the babysitter's while my dad took my mother to Saginaw General Hospital. Although she thought her hospitalization would only be temporary, she was kept over a week at the hospital, until the 22nd. During this time I thought quite a bit about what it would be like to have another sibling. We did not know whether it would be a boy or girl, but I was hoping for a little brother since I already had a sister. An ultrasound revealed that the baby had to come out immediately. My soon-to-be little brother had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and he had bent himself over, curling into a ball, which prevented him from being able to survive a natural birth. The doctor decided to do an emergency C-section in order to save him. My mother was administered anesthesia, and the doctors had only two minutes to get the baby out before the anesthesia would get to him and worsen his condition. The c-section was successful, but my brother's fight for survival was far from over.

My parents named their new child Jacob. There are eight levels in the neonatal intensive care unit, and my brother was put in Level One, the most critical level, where he would be under constant supervision. He was born weighing only 3 pounds and 2 ounces, but dropped to 2 pounds, 15 ounces. For the next month he would live in an incubator, protected from the outside world. The incubator was about 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 feet., and was made out of clear plastic with a few doors on its sides to access inside. There were many blankets to support the baby and help keep him warm. His lungs had not fully developed, so there was a tube helping him breathe. There was also a tube to feed him, and IV's connected to his forehead, arms, and ankles. A brain scan was done to check for bleeding; fortunately, there was none. This was great news, meaning it was unlikely Jacob would have any brain damage.

We went to Jacob every day, sometimes two. All belongings were sealed in plastic bags to prevent contamination to the IC unit. We also had to wash our hands and arms thoroughly for two minutes. "Jacob’s head is so small it's like the size of an orange," I kept saying. I was thirteen at the time and did not remember my sister when she was a baby, so it was even more shocking to see the size of my new premature brother. His hand was so small when he grabbed my thumb his fingers could not even wrap all the way around.

As the month passed Jacob grew stronger, and was able to breathe on his own, then feed on his own. Soon he was up to 4 pounds and 6 ounces.. My grandfather had come down to be with his newest grandson. Jacob was 16 inches long, and I remember my grandfather cradling Jacob in his hand and forearm. Jacob went through all the levels of the ICU, to Level Eight, where babies' health conditions were more stable.

"Keep him wrapped up and make sure to support his head," my mother told me. It was the first time my sister and I got to hold Jacob. When my brother was allowed to leave the hospital and come home, on July 24th, it was an extremely joyful day.

Jacob is now six years old and completely healthy. My mother would tell me, "I always think of Jacob's incubator when that commercial for plastic comes on." Years ago, Jacob would not have been able to survive the birth; he also could not have held his body temperature without the incubator and all the feeding and breathing apparatus. I am very grateful for our modem medical technologies that allowed him to survive. I am also thankful for the Saginaw General Hospital personnel who looked after him, and the doctors who performed the surgeries. It gave me a real sense of appreciation for the health care field.

Editor's note: Saginaw General Hospital is now part of Covenant Hospital.