01/09/2026
The first ear-splitting wails of a newborn are a beautiful and welcome sound, a sign to their overjoyed parents that their baby’s tiny lungs work well. But Elizabeth Meredith’s initial cries following her birth on Sept. 23, 2025, were weak and mixed with noisy and high-pitched breathing, which is often referred to as stridor. Her raspyness was not normal and an indication of respiratory distress, which spurred the delivery team at the hospital in her East Texas hometown to jump into action.
Unable to pinpoint the cause of her symptoms, Elizabeth’s pediatrician was concerned she needed a higher level of neonatal care. The doctor recommended the newborn be transferred that evening to the newly opened Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Prosper, where neonatologists had the specialized pediatric equipment and capabilities to perform the tests needed to determine a diagnosis.
The NICU at Cook Children’s – Prosper opened on Sept. 2, 2025. It is the region’s first full-service NICU within a pediatric medical center, and Elizabeth was one of the unit’s first patients. Her care team, led by neonatologists, began charting a course for diagnostic testing soon after she arrived. But first, Tyler, her father, got to spend time holding his daughter, something the new parents were not able to do after Elizabeth’s birth due to her precarious condition.
Elizabeth was diagnosed with vocal cord paralysis, also known as vocal fold paralysis. It is a serious condition in which the movement of one or both vocal cords is compromised. Babies with vocal cord paralysis may have difficulty breathing, feeding and making sounds.
“Even though you hate the fact that you have to be there, there was comfort in knowing that if anything went wrong at all, her NICU care team is there within seconds,” Tyler said. “Having that comfort and no fear of having to worry too much about everything else was very nice.”
Elizabeth spent 10 days in the NICU with her parents by her side. She was able to go home on Oct. 2, and will continue to follow-up with her Ear, Nose and Throat specialist at Cook Children’s. Tyler and Samantha have already seen improvement in Elizabeth’s condition and are hopeful that her vocal cord paralysis will resolve on its own.
While Elizabeth’s first days of life did not go how the family imagined it would, they are grateful the NICU at Cook Children’s – Prosper was there to get their baby on the path to healing. They both say their daughter’s care team made all the difference.
“I felt like I saw God at work most through the people that took care of me and took care of her,” Samantha said. “Thinking back over my experience at my hometown hospital and at Cook Children’s, I feel like I need to track down every single nurse and just give them a huge hug and say thank you. I just so strongly felt like they're doing the Lord's work, and not only for me, but for every patient they have every day. They were just huge blessings, and I feel like God put them there for us at the time that he did.”
To read more about Elizabeth’s story and our NICU in Prosper, visit: https://tinyurl.com/4hh6b7ck
