MILLION- DOLLAR BABIES

摘要

Ryan Cole weighed 1 pound 15 ounces when he was born on May 3, 2005, after just 28 weeks in the womb. He spent his first 70 days in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, kept alive by an array of specialized ventilators, intravenous feeding pumps, and advanced diagnostic gear, as well as round-the-clock attention from the hospital staff. Like many "preemies," or babies born earlier than 37 weeks, Ryan was a handful. Afflicted with two different brain abnormalities, he threw up constantly, and his parents had to care for him amid a tangled nest of wires that snaked out of his crib, helping him breathe and eat.