In this episode, I’m joined by my friend Tori, whose son Elias spent 21 months in the hospital after being born at 25 weeks and 6 days, battling severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), a heptoblastoma, and being vent- and trach-dependent. But Tori’s journey didn’t start in the NICU—it began with a rare and life-threatening complication called HELLP syndrome, which led to Elias’s early birth at just 26 weeks.

Tori shares the traumatic experience of surviving HELLP syndrome while also feeling immense excitement about bringing her baby into the world under the most challenging circumstances. Despite her severe illness, her mindset was incredibly brave. She explains her thoughts before undergoing surgery:

“It’s hard to describe the calm and clarity I had of just, ‘Okay, let’s do this. And if I come out of this, okay. If I don’t, okay. But I know Elias and Caleb are going to be fine no matter what happens. There will be heartache and trials, but it’ll be okay. And I had so much joy and was so excited to be having my baby. It was scary, but I’m still having a baby. I was going to see his face and touch his hands. I didn’t know what it meant to have a preemie.’”

Tori’s storytelling ability paints a vivid picture of the emotional and physical impact of surviving a traumatic pregnancy, giving birth to a micropreemie, and navigating life in the ICU. Elias is now 2 years old, thriving, and continuing to defy odds every day.

Tori’s been passionate about this project and shared this about being on the podcast:

“It would be so easy for us to just be like, ‘Oh, I’m never thinking about all that ever again. Those were the worst and most traumatic years of my life.’ But it’s so important to remember. We’re not the same people we were before we had our sons, but look at all the things we are capable of and accomplished. And look how strong we are—our husbands and kids included. To be on the other side and be able to look back and talk about it with such hope. Because when you’re in it, everything feels so disparaged and heavy all the time. But then to look back and think, ‘Oh my gosh, we survived that… we did that.’ that’s an incredible feeling.”

I’m so grateful to Tori for her positive and hopeful insight. She’s been a huge help in getting this podcast off the ground and has encouraged me along the way.