A Little Warrior Princess: Elariya’s Story

WESTFIELD, Mass. -  Elariya’s journey started when she was born incredibly early at just 23 weeks and 6 days into her mom’s pregnancy. She weighed only 1 pound 6.5 ounces and was just 11.5 inches long. It was June 2020, in the middle of a heat wave and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her birth was both miraculous and terrifying. As soon as she arrived, Elariya was rushed to the Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Baystate Children’s Hospital because her tiny lungs weren’t fully developed. Even though she was so fragile, she didn’t need to be intubated right away. Those first hours were a whirlwind of fear and hope for her mom, Samantha Landry, as her tiny daughter went through multiple blood transfusions and was diagnosed with a grade 2 brain bleed and an atrial septal defect which is a small hole between the upper chambers of her heart. “Immediately after she was born, I ran my finger from her forehead down to her nose, and named her, Elariya. Ten hours after her birth, I was finally able to see her. Her eyes were still fused shut, and her delicate skin was sticky and so fragile that I was advised not to touch her anywhere except her tiny hands,” said Samantha. “For eight long days, I couldn't hold my beautiful girl, but I could see her through the Angel Eyes cameras setup in the NICU.  Being discharged home and leaving my baby behind was incredibly difficult. However, one of the kind nurses captured precious photos for me, each one melting my heart. The NICU nurses are a different breed of amazing.”

On day 11, Samantha noticed that Elariya appeared pale and lethargic, much less alert than before so she called the nurses, who responded immediately. The care team ran a series of tests to try and figure out what was going on. The team’s swift action revealed that Elariya had developed an infection called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a serious gastrointestinal condition that primarily affects premature infants, causing inflammation and damage to intestines. Because of the quick action of Mom and the care team, it was caught early and treated successfully with two courses of antibiotics, sparing her from surgery.

During her recovery, Elariya was intubated to allow her body to rest and fight off the infection. She faced many challenges for such a tiny baby. On day 12, when she finally opened her eyes, tests revealed she had retinopathy of prematurity, (ROP) which meant she needed regular monitoring to track the development of her eye's blood vessels. She also had cysts on her ovaries that required close observation, but once again, she was able to avoid surgery.

“Feeding was also a challenge for Elariya for a long time,” shared Samantha. Elariya experienced bradycardic episodes (a condition where the heart rate is abnormally low) and frequent reflux, as well as bowel issues that required suppositories on more than one occasion. But with the unwavering support of the Baystate NICU team, she grew stronger every day.

After 87 long days in the NICU, Elariya was finally healthy, happy, and completely tube-free, with no oxygen, or feeding tubes. She now takes medicine for her bowels and is thriving.

“Elariya amazed everyone when she was discharged three weeks before my due date which was September 10,” said Samantha. “The nurses were sad to see her leave, as she had become their little warrior princess.”

Today, Elariya is a smart, sweet, gentle-voiced little girl excited to start kindergarten. She is obsessed with cowgirls, loves to sing and listen to music. Samantha shared her overwhelming appreciation to Elariya’s entire care team, “I am endlessly grateful to the extraordinary staff of Baystate and Davis NICU for their expertise, compassion, and dedication to my little miracle. I owe them my life. Their wonderful care made all the difference in Elariya's journey, and we will always appreciate the memories and gratitude we have for them.”