Summerlin girl born prematurely an ambassador for March of Dimes

She might not be talkative, but her cuteness and big eyes are enough to garner attention.

Cali Kiss, a Summerlin-area preschooler at La Petite Academy, has been named the Las Vegas Valley child ambassador for March of Dimes//.

Cali likes ballet and tumbling classes and is a fan of the movie “Trolls.”

“I saw it this many times,” she said, holding up two fingers.

Soon after the announcement, on Cali’s fifth birthday, she and her mother, Gloria, visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, where Cali was born.

Unit charge nurse Kathy Innes said it’s fun when children born prematurely in the unit return for a visit, something that happens about every other week.

“I love seeing them when they come back to see us, when they’re bigger and they’re all happy,” said Innes, who has been a nurse for 13 years. “It’s a great feeling. In a (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), there are good days and bad days. But I feel we’re there as much for the parent, not just the baby, because everything is about family-centered care because Mommy and Daddy are going through a lot.”

Gloria and her husband, Steven, went through a lot when Cali was born. Glorida’s pregnancy was fine until the 29th week. She was at her doctor’s office for a routine visit when she went into labor.

Gloria was rushed to Summerlin Hospital, where doctors tried to stop her labor. Four hours after that first contraction, she delivered Cali.

“It took about 38 minutes before they said, ‘She’s going to make it.’ They had two doctors and three nurses working on her,” Gloria said, “and I could see from behind and it was just heartbreaking.”

She only got to touch the infant’s hand before Cali was whisked away again.

Cali weighed 3 pounds at birth. She dipped to 2 pounds, 10 ounces, in the critical days ahead.

About a month before Cali was supposed to come home, she developed a setback: blood in her stool. Necrotizing enterocolitis, an intenstinal disease, was suspected. Because Cali’s intestines weren’t fully developed, they could burst, releasing an infection into her system.

“They said, ‘The best thing would be that. The worst thing would be death,’” Gloria said. “So it scared us.”

Steven worked at the hospital as a phlebotomist. He would end his shift and go straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Gloria, an interior designer now with Restoration Hardware at Tivoli Village, spent much of her day and all night in the unit with Cali. Most of the time, the infant’s parents could only access her through the holes of the incubator.

“She spent her first Thanksgiving in here, her first Christmas in here and New Year’s in here,” Gloria said, gesturing to the hospital walls.

The March of Dimes was there with support. It matched the couple with another parent who had gone through a similar ordeal, someone to learn from and laugh with as things got better.

“She talked to me about her preemies.” Gloria said. “So, she gave me hope.”

Cali recovered, and her parents welcomed her home.

Cali was in the Summerlin facility for 63 days. Her parents said they were happy to have health insurance.

“I call her my million-dollar baby,” Gloria said.

As Cali grew, her family participated in March of Dimes events and fundraiser walks. This will be their sixth year of involvement with March of Dimes.

As the March of Dimes ambassador, Cali will appear in TV ads and print material for the nonprofit. The family will attend a board meeting, putting a face on the cause.

Visit marchofdimes.org.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.