Cierrah Longo

From 176 Days in the NICU to TCC and I’m Still Carrying It All After 176 days in the NICU, my baby finally graduated and transferred to TCC, the Transitional Care Center the step before coming home where parents are trained and educated to care for their baby independently. There were so many moments when this didn’t feel possible. He has defied odds that were never in his favor. He has survived things no baby should ever have to face, and somehow he keeps pushing forward. Every milestone feels like a miracle stacked on top of another one. Now we’re in the next phase. I’m at TCC every single day learning how to keep him alive at home. Ventilator care. Trach care. Emergency situations. Medications. If I don’t complete this training, he can’t come home. There’s no shortcut and no one else doing it for him. The hospital is about an hour away on a good day with no traffic. I spend my days there, then leave early so I can make it home in time for my daughter to get off the bus. I’m living between two worlds every day, trying to make sure neither of my kids feels like they’re losing me. There’s no backup. I’m doing this alone. Because I’m in training, I can’t work like I normally would, and bills don’t pause just because life gets hard. I’m about $2,000 behind right now while still trying to keep everything steady and prepare for what it will take to bring my baby home. Once he’s home, he’ll need 24/7 nursing care, specialized equipment, and ongoing medical supplies. Insurance helps, but it doesn’t cover everything, and there are gaps I have to be ready to fill myself. I am incredibly proud of how far he’s come. He is thriving in ways doctors once couldn’t promise, and I will never stop fighting to get him home safely. This season is exhausting and heavy, but it’s also filled with hope. Every day here brings us one step closer to home. If you’re able to donate, your support helps cover home nursing, medical supplies, and the basic costs of keeping our lives afloat during this time. If you can’t donate, please share this. Sharing truly helps more than you know. Thank you for reading, for caring, and for being part of this miracle. I don’t take a single bit of it for granted.