About Pierce

Pierce Nikolas Franks was born on April 12, 2011 at 23 weeks 5 days gestation. At almost 17 weeks premature, his prognosis was bleak. In fact, we were given the option and encouraged to refrain from medical intervention and merely let nature take it's course. Words such as "non-viable" were used to describe our son in the minutes before his birth. We were told that there was a slim (5%) chance that our son would survive and that if he did, he would be faced with numerous complications. Cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness- those were all things that were very real and possible complications of his extreme premature birth.

However, against all odds, Pierce survived. At birth he weighed a whopping 1lbs 8oz (670 grams) and was 12 inches long. He endured a grueling 118-day stay in the NICU, 4 surgeries (PDA ligation, VAD placement, ROP laser surgery and VP Shunt placement), and numerous ailments (including Chronic Lung Disease, ROP, Bilateral Grade III/IV brain bleeds, hydrocephalus and sepsis).

Today, Pierce is a healthy baby, thriving at home! And while he still has some obstacles to overcome, he has come so far. He is not deaf. He is not blind. And at 18 months (14 months adjusted), he is meeting new milestones everyday. There is no doubt that Pierce is a miracle and that God is at work in his life.

If you're interested in the beginning of our journey, you can start here.