A Poplar Bluff couple who spent last Christmas in a hospital NICU with their newborn son proclaim the miracles God has performed in their lives as they celebrate this Christmas with both children
Allyson and Kyle Huggins credit God for giving them both their sons, Ty, 7, and Bryar Luke, 1.
When Ty was born weighing 3 pounds and 15 ounces at full term, he spent 10 days at Saint Francis NICU in Cape Girardeau.
“We thought that was horrible,” she said. “That’s why we waited so long to have another child, because Ty’s experience seemed so traumatic.”
On Nov. 30, 2021, pregnant with Bryar, Allyson was admitted to the hospital because there was hardly any fluid around the baby.
“They wanted to monitor him to make sure he was doing okay,” she said. “We didn’t expect to be delivering a week later. I was airlifted to Washington University/Barnes.”
Allyson was 27 weeks when she was rushed to the operating room.
“I had the little thing, 1 pound and 14 ounces,” she said.
“He was wrapped in plastic to keep him warm,” his mother continued. “They took him to the Children’s Hospital for NICU care. Later that night, I was able to see him for the first time.”
Struggling to decide what to do that Christmas, Allyson asked the nurses, “What would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you leave him to go have a normal Christmas with your other child?”
They listened and said, “‘Your 6-year-old will remember. Bryar will not remember. If you trust us, we’re going to take care of him. He’s going to be monitored closely,’” she recalled. “I’m like, you’re right. Friday, we were headed home to be with Ty and celebrate Christmas Eve.”
However, Bryar got sick the day after Christmas and the hospital staff called the family about 4 a.m. A nurse told Allyson he was about to be intubated. When Allyson walked back into the hospital, Bryar’s room was filled with doctors and nurses concerned about dips in his heart rate — a warning sign of deeper problems in premature babies. They learned he had a severe UTI.
The Huggins chose to be with Bryar while Ty stayed in St. Louis at the Ronald McDonald House with his maternal grandparents.
While Allyson remembers last Christmas as horrible, Ty remembers very differently thanks to the Ronald McDonald House.
“The Ronald McDonald House, they would spoil him rotten. They knew he came on the weekend so they would leave presents by the door. Ty would say. ‘Oh, my gosh, there’s presents for me.’ They had so many snacks you could go grab. You didn’t have to worry about paying for anything. They took care of all of it,” Allyson said.
The Huggins’ families also helped provide a stable environment for Ty. Kyle’s mother Collen and her husband, Dennis Weyland, live in Michigan but watched Ty for a week during Christmas. Allyson’s parents Phillip and Donna Buhler and grandparents Shelby and Calvin Buhler stayed by his side the rest of the time. She remembers her grandfather, who died in October, as “a huge prayer warrior for Bryar.”
“He was constantly calling and checking on us,” she said.
Allyson explained her grandfather always said, “‘God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!’ This saying kept our family going and believing everything would work out as God planned it would.”
And sure enough, “good things came out of it,” she said.
“He was a miracle baby,” the mother explained this December. “Mine and Kyle’s relationship got stronger, because we had to lean on each other to get through it.
“My parents were able to spend time with Ty and to bond with him. Ty got to experience a whole different level of love.
“I feel, even though it was horrible, we had the best outcome and (got) to be a complete family. Family is family. Friends and prayer actually do work. I believe in God 100%. Bryar and Ty are both our miracle babies.”
Allyson, who is a registered nurse at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, didn’t return to work for six months. She was in St. Louis for three months with Bryar and three months at home caring for him. She said PBRMC was “very understanding” and gave her the time to recover at home. When she returned to work, she was able to choose shifts when Kyle, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper, was home.
“My husband worked the weekends. My charge nurse, and everybody allowed me to work the days Kyle was off. Kyle would watch him when I worked. I would watch him when he worked,” she said.
This Christmas is shaping up to be a vastly different one. Last year, Bryar weighed less than two pounds; he now weighs 20 pounds and has all the energy of a normal one-year-old.
“We’re so blessed to have a baby who has no deficits,” she said. “He truly is a miracle. He has done so well. He crawls like a madman, he’s a normal baby. He’s not afraid to get dirty. He’s not afraid. He’s fearless. He’s really different from my first one, who was more timid, careful and the rule follower. I’m scared Bryar’s going to be the opposite.”
And this Christmas the entire family is together.
Allyson credits, “God and everyone who prayed for us, who donated to help us and showed their love,” for getting her family through.
“The Ronald McDonald House was absolutely amazing support. I will forever donate to the Ronald McDonald House. Even if I just go to the drive thru and round up. Let everybody know that he’s a miracle and that God is real. This Christmas season, we’re extra thankful,” she said.
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