NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Kelsey Adkins lights up talking about her baby girl, Ellie.
"She's silly too she likes to stick her tongue out," Adkins said.
But there was a time their hometown doctors in east Tennessee were telling Adkins and dad Connor Lane their newborn wouldn't make it.
"She has congenital titanopothy," Adkins said. "I was just so excited and then there's a grief that comes with it."
They chose to fight for her life, bringing her to Middle Tennessee for more specialized care.
"She needed a trach," Adkins said. "We've been told we don't know how much time we're gonna have with her so anytime is precious."
Care so far from home means travel and lodging costs for parents trying to be there for those precious moments. Hospitality House allows any NICU family to stay with them, offering support, care and lodging at a low cost.
"If we didn't come up here options were very limited," Lane said.
Stories like Ellie's could become more common in Middle Tennessee. A review of the 488-page packet Williamson County leaders received on the plans surrounding the potential sale of community-owned Williamson Health shows the hospital's Level 2 NICU could see an upgrade — meaning more places in the midstate to receive specialized care.
Hospitality House Executive Director Angie Stiff said the demand on her organization mirrors the demand on area hospitals.
"All the hospitals have great demand on them so when they have great demand, we have great demand," Stiff said.
Stiff said a more specialized NICU in Williamson County would draw families from counties and states away.
"It would be transformational in my opinion throughout the entire middle Tennessee community," Stiff said.
For Adkins and Lane, the specialized care already available in Middle Tennessee has made all the difference for a girl who wasn't supposed to go home.
"She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for NICUs and the technology, especially because at home we didn't have the level of care that's up here," Adkins said.
"She's just so full of light in love. She's just a little angel," Adkins said.
"I just want her to be happy I want her to be like normal like baby things like she's never been outside. I wanna take her outside," Adkins said.
The next step in the hospital sale would be a letter of intent. A spokesperson with Ascension St. Thomas expects that to happen in the next month or two.
In a statement, Ascension St. Thomas said they are honored to be the Williamson Health Board of Trustees' preferred partner in the potential sale, but that it is still too early to discuss specific plans for future services.
If you'd like to help Ellie's family they have a GoFundMe page.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
Kelsey Gibbs brings us a powerful story of humanity, compassion, and love in action while showing us the hard and lifesaving work our officers do daily. Nashville is lucky to have people like Lt. Hotz wearing the badge.
- Carrie Sharp
