Preemie: Haley Whaley
Gestation at Birth: 24 weeks
Days in the NICU: 120 days
“Pray, breathe, and be thankful for every single minute of this journey.” – Haley Whaley

Preemie Story:

My name is Haley Whaley (Thomas). I am 33 years old and on February 20th, 1990 I was born as a triplet, with my two brothers, Matthew and Anthony. We were all born at 24.5 weeks and each around 1 lb. and 10 oz.

Twelve hours after birth, our brother, Anthony passed away with complications. My Mom always said he never moved around in her stomach as much as Matt and I did. For over 4 months, Matt and I fought for our lives countless times. Matt was worse than me. The day they had Anthony’s funeral was the day the doctors told my parents to say good-bye to Matt. He was not getting enough oxygen into his lungs and they were afraid he was not going to make it through the night. My Mom was upset and told the doctors to do whatever they could do to make him survive. She was up all night praying.

By the morning, Matt’s lungs had gained the oxygen that he needed. My parents were at the hospital every single day until we were able to come home. At the time my Dad was a volunteer firefighter and they had many benefits to raise money for my parents and so many people would come to visit us in the hospital. I feel blessed to have such supportive family and friends that were there for my parents through those crucial, scary, and difficult months.

Advice for Preemie Parents:

Put your trust in the Lord and he will provide a miracle that you never thought would happen!

Haley today:

I am 33 years old. I have been married to my husband, Todd for 7 years and we reside in Byron, IL.

In 2018, my amazing and loving twin brother, Matt passed away. Matt was struggling with his mental health for over a year and we lost him to suicide. It has been a very difficult 4.5 years without him. We grew up together, went to the same college, and started our adulthood together. It feels really strange to be an only child on this Earth, but I cannot wait to be reunited with my two brothers in heaven. That is what gives me hope. This honestly is just a very short story of my journey, someday I hope that more others can hear more of it.