Thanksgiving will feel a little sweeter this year for Tricia and Nel Santiago, who are finally celebrating at home with their tiny, fierce miracle, Emmett. Born far earlier than anyone expected, Emmett’s arrival was a heart-stopping shock, yet one filled with hope and determination.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Tricia, 35, recalls, her voice still tinged with awe. “I had some stomach pain, so we thought we’d go to the hospital just to be safe.” But when the couple walked into Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Grapevine, her water broke. What followed was a frantic transfer to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where Emmett was born at just 22 weeks and six days—barely a pound, with only a ten percent chance of survival.
The doctors gave Tricia a choice no parent should ever face: attempt to resuscitate her son or offer him comfort care until he passed. “We decided to go for resuscitation,” she says softly. “It took a second try for them to get the ventilator in, but luckily, they were able to.” She wouldn’t hold her son for another month, waiting until June to finally cradle him in her arms.
Every day in the neonatal intensive care unit was a mixture of anxiety, hope, and exhaustion. Tricia and Nel worked full-time, then battled traffic just to be by Emmett’s side. “It was hard every day to leave him there,” she admits.
Yet Emmett had inherited his parents’ tenacity. Tricia and Nel, who met at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and married in 2021, had longed for a child of their own. After turning to IVF, their joy at learning Tricia was pregnant in December was quickly overshadowed by the terrifying early arrival of their son.
For nearly five months, the hospital became Emmett’s world—and theirs. Slowly, day by day, he grew stronger: from a ventilator to a CPAP machine, then to an oxygen tank. His tiny body fought tirelessly, mirroring the resilience of the parents who had dreamed him into existence.
Finally, on September 30, after 153 days in the hospital, Emmett “graduated” to home care, still dependent on oxygen and a feeding tube. “It was exciting, definitely a little scary,” Tricia says. “We were told he might need 24/7 nursing care, but coverage is tough. We’re hoping for Medicaid, though the federal shutdown slowed things down.” The family has also started a GoFundMe to help cover Emmett’s ongoing care, while Nel has taken unpaid leave to be there for their son.
Even with the hurdles ahead—including chronic lung disease, a heart procedure in November, and upcoming laser eye surgery—Tricia focuses on the progress. “He’s really wanted to be here on this Earth with us,” she says.
This Thanksgiving, the Santiago family will gather around the table, hearts full, celebrating not just the holiday, but the fierce, fragile, beautiful life of a boy who refused to give up—a tiny warrior whose presence turns every ordinary moment into a triumph.
