Taylor is in the Congressional Record!

My boss, Representative Ted Poe (TX-02), gave a touching tribute to Taylor and her incredible journey.

TAYLOR: THE LITTLE MIRACLE BABY

SPEECH OF HON. TED POE OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2009

• Mr. POE of Texas. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” Madame Speaker, Hellen Keller made this observation about life and today I’d like to share the inspiring story of Taylor Christine Hunt. A little baby who I like to call the Miracle Baby. Her story is a moving reminder that prayer, faith, hope, and love can and do overcome the challenges of life.

• Born at 27 weeks and weighing just one and a half pounds little Baby Taylor beat the odds. Last fall my staffer, Nicole Hunt and her husband Jeff Hunt shared their excitement with me as they announced they were expecting their first baby at the end of May. In January of this year they found out they were having a girl. We all rejoiced at the news. However, on March 1, 2009, due to pregnancy complications, little Baby Taylor was born three and a half months premature.

• Taylor was immediately admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and placed on a ventilator to help her breathe. She remained on the ventilator for nearly a week as doctors kept a close watch on her. Nicknamed the “little spitfire” by doctors and nurses because of her sassy and stubborn attitude towards all of their poking and prodding, Taylor would not let anything keep her down.

• Early on doctors detected an irregularity with her heart and took prompt medical action to correct it. Thankfully they were successful. In the first few months of her life doctors also discovered that Taylor had an eye disorder that primarily affects premature babies. Miraculously, it was there one day and gone the next. Today Taylor has perfect vision. Slowly, as Taylor’s body matured, she learned to breathe on her own, take food, and maintain her body temperature.

• While Jeff and Nicole sat by her bedside day and night, they also rallied a huge group of supporters to pray for Taylor. Taylor even had her own website called “Pray Taylor Home” and literally thousands of people all over this country and the world prayed for her recovery.

• On June 2, 2009, after 94 days of hospitalization, hundreds of tests, dozens of specialists, 3 blood transfusions, and one ambulance ride, Taylor was finally well enough to go home.

• Today Taylor has been home for about two months and is thriving. She is almost 8 pounds and is developing beautifully. It has been a pleasure to see this little Miracle Baby beat the odds and I am proud to share her story with this Chamber today.

• Edith Wharton, a famous novelist, once wrote: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Taylor is that candle–spreading hope and teaching all of us that we must never give up.

• And that’s just the way it is.

THEN

NOW