Bringing Jeremy Home:
One family’s experience
with
premature birth
The summer of 1991 was filled with anticipation for
the Seidel family of San Antonio. Steve and Theresa, the
parents of 5 year-old Trevor and 2 year-old Seth, were
busy preparing for the birth of a third son due on
Halloween. Theresa was fortunate enough to receive
excellent prenatal care, yet she still had some concerns.
“I had experienced premature labor with Seth at 28
weeks, but a combination of bed rest and medication
helped me carry the pregnancy to 37 weeks,” says
Seidel. “I took comfort from my doctor, who said I
didn’t appear to be at high risk for premature labor
this time around.”
Then early one August morning, Theresa’s water
broke. Theresa was just 28 weeks pregnant. Alarmed,
the family drove to Methodist Hospital hoping for a miracle.
Thus began an exhausting rollercoaster that would
envelop the entire family for a long time to come.
“That morning a neonatologist told us the chances
for our baby’s survival were much higher than in the
past because of medical advances, but he didn’t
know what the lifelong consequences would be,”
recalls Seidel. “We knew then that the main question
would be the quality of life.”
On Aug. 13, 1991, Jeremy Allen Seidel entered the
world weighing just 2 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring
16 inches long. Jeremy’s eyes were still fused
shut, but his cry in the delivery room was encouraging.
He was quickly put in an oxygen hood and then
on a ventilator. Jeremy would spend his first seven
weeks of life in the neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU). It was an emotional time filled with ups and
downs. The blur of activity included ultrasounds for
brain hemorrhaging, blood tests, daily weighing and
even a blood transfusion. Because his lungs were
underdeveloped, Jeremy received surfactant therapy
to help him breath. The lifesaving medication is a
direct result of March of Dimes research funding.
Nothing had prepared the Seidel family for a crisis of
this magnitude. Trevor had just begun kindergarten,
and Seth was enrolled in a Mother’s Day Out program.
Jeremy was finally allowed to come home with an
apnea monitor in tow. It would sound an alarm if he
stopped breathing. Trevor quickly learned to find
Mom when the alarm went off. While the family celebrated
Jeremy’s homecoming, the strain of the circumstances
took its toll. One day, 2 year-old Seth
told his Mom to “take Jeremy back to the hospital!”
Since that bumpy start, Jeremy has flourished. He
went through speech, physical and occupational
therapy until the age of 3. Although he has some
minor physical impairments, the Seidels are thrilled
with Jeremy’s medical outcome. Now 16, Jeremy is a
rising sophomore at Alamo Heights High School,
where he takes advanced classes. His hobbies
include playing both the oboe and saxophone in the
school band, snow skiing and fencing.
“He’s a typical teenager who tries our patience but
occasionally redeems himself with a wicked sense of
humor and a quick smile,” says his proud mom.
In appreciation of the March of Dimes impact on
their lives, the Seidels have become actively involved
with the organization. Steve has been a local board
member since 2004, served as board chair and coordinated
Texas Society activities. Steve and Theresa
are also joining their friends Cathy and Frank Burzik
in co-chairing the 2008 Signature Chefs gala.
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