Palmer Carroll was running around like many 3-year-old boys on a warm late-summer morning. Swinging a baseball bat, riding his tricycle, playing with toy cars and enjoying his grandma’s homemade M&M cookies.
Looking at him now, you would never know he had spent more than two months in the neonatal intensive care unit at both Oishei Children’s Hospital and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital when he was first born, his mother, Rebecca Rumschik-Carroll, said.
Palmer was born on June 7, 2022, at 27 weeks and four days. He weighed 2 pounds, 7 ounces.
The morning he was born, Rumschik-Carroll knew she was in labor. She dropped her older children off at school, called her doctor and husband, Chris Carroll, and made her way to Oishei. Palmer was born two hours later.
“They kept saying they were gonna try their best to stop the labor. And then if they did stop it, I would be staying at Oishei,” Rumschik-Carroll said. “But I just knew he was coming. I could feel him coming, and he did.”
Palmer had to be intubated after he was born for 48 hours and needed two blood transfusions. His mom recalled being able to see his lungs when he was first born because his skin was so transparent.
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“I felt terrible,” Rumschik-Carroll said, becoming emotional at the memories. “I thought it was my fault, but also I knew we were in such good hands with Oishei.”
After about a week at Oishei, spending all day, every day at the hospital visiting their son, the staff at Oishei began to feel like a second family to Rumschik-Carroll and her husband.
“It started from the security guard with checking in to the Joe’s Deli employees knowing my order, my husband’s order to walking up to the NICU unit, being greeted by the receptionist and then also the cleaning staff,” she said. “Every single employee there made you feel at home.”
The family was nervous to transfer to the Millard Fillmore NICU because of the exceptional care they received at Oishei. But after two days at the new hospital, they started to feel at home again. The Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital NICU is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year.
After spending 40 days at Oishei and 23 days at Millard Fillmore, Palmer got to go home on Aug. 8, 2022 – a month before his original due date. His three older siblings – Jack, 12; Quinn, 8; and Nolan, 8 – were waiting outside the hospital with their grandma to meet him for the first time.
Bringing Palmer home was nerve-wracking and the family had to be diligent about keeping germs at bay so Palmer wouldn’t get sick, but Rumschik-Carroll noticed her son was happier and more relaxed at home. As a baby, Palmer had to have weekly blood tests and visit the eye doctor to make sure his eyes were developing. But he has since reached all his developmental milestones and did occupational and physical therapy until he turned 3, Rumschik-Carroll said.
Now, three years later, Palmer is “a wild child,” his mom said. He loves his siblings, his dog, swimming and sports, such as baseball and golf. Palmer especially loves cheering for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook when he watches Bills games. He started going to school this year.
Since their time at Oishei, the family has become very involved in raising money for the hospital. Recently, the family shared Palmer’s story as part of Oishei’s Giving Day fundraiser and raised almost $10,000, Rumschik-Carroll said.
“With him being born that early, he is a success story,” Rumschik-Carroll said. “And there’s many, many success stories with Oishei. They are incredible there.”
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Natalie Brophy
Reporter
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