Hazel Rose's Journey

02/08/2026

Hi friends 🤍

We’ll be taking this page down soon and moving to a private account. When we first created this page, we were in the thick of everything and I didn’t realize I had set it up as a business profile. Because of that, anything posted here is public and can be shared beyond our control.

We are so incredibly grateful to everyone who has followed Hazel’s journey. We’ll continue sharing milestones on her private account as we feel comfortable.
If you’d like to continue following along, you’re more than welcome to do so. You will need to search for her private page and request to be verified.

Thank you for all the love and support during such a difficult time. It has truly meant the world to us. From family and friends who stood by us through the darkest days, to complete strangers who showed up with kindness, you’ve helped us see what really matters and how powerful it is to show up for others.

We are so deeply grateful for all of you!

I'll make sure to let everyone know when we create the private account. Thank you everyone!

01/13/2026

She is 32 months now and still fighting! So proud of our little girl for all she's done in 979 days, after spending 378 of those fighting for her life in the NICU.

Mommy and daddy are so proud of you!

12/09/2025

We are so proud of all the things Hazel has achieved in her short time here in earth, and this is another to add to the books.

Shortly after Hazel was born she developed Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) causing us to be transferred to Children's Mercy. NEC is one of the most serious gastrointestinal diseases affecting preterm babies. It is a devastating illness where the tissue lining the intestine becomes inflamed and it often dies.

Typically the smallest and most fragile preemies are often the most vulnerable. More than 90% of NEC cases happen in preemies, just like Hazel who are born with very low birth-weight and mortality remains heartbreakingly high for many.

While in the NICU we allowed Hazel to take part in genetic-testing research while under the care of Dr. Sampath, one of her regular doctors.

Because of Hazel’s participation, researchers are gaining crucial data. We are confident that her participation will help amazing doctors continue to uncover more answers to the cause, how to intervene and hopefully one day prevent this all together.

We are so thankful, and so proud of to know her participating in this testing will help another little fighter one day.

Read the full article at the link below! 💙

11/12/2025

𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥!

We’re so excited to share that Hazel has been 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡.
At her appointment today, 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

For anyone wondering, Hazel still has her trach (the small breathing tube in her neck), but she’s always needed the ventilator to help her breathe. Now that her lungs are getting stronger, she’ll start spending short stretches, just an hour at first, breathing completely on her own at night while we keep a close eye on her.

Back in the spring, she started daytime vent trials and 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. Now she only uses the vent at night.
And what makes this milestone even more special is that it’s happening during 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡. Hazel isn’t just a preemie, she’s an 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞, which makes every single step forward that much more 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄
This is such a 𝑯𝑼𝑮𝑬 𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑵𝑬 and we are so 𝑫𝑨𝑴𝑵 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑫 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑯𝑨𝒁𝑬𝑳𝑵𝑼𝑻

#𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥𝐧𝐮𝐭 #𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 #𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 #𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 #𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

06/14/2025

So many special moments have taken place over this last month. Two we haven't shared yet were finally being able to go visit some of her NICU team from Stormont Vail, and my OBGYN Dr.Blake and her nurse Hailee with UKHS, St. Francis Campus.

I knew it was going to be very emotional for me to see all these people, because they are the reason Haze is here today. Each of them played a very important and special role in why we were able to successfully transfer Hazel to CMH on day 37. We will always be so grateful for each of them.l

06/13/2025

We are so proud of you, Hazel! 🫶🫶

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CZVdbwxY4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Two years after weighting just 13 ounces at birth and one year after coming home, Hazel Rose not only is surviving - she’s thriving.

04/20/2025

Hazel's first Easter home and we are so thankful!

Happy Easter from our family to yours!