DONOR PROFILE
It All Started with a Baby
Behind every donation is a story . For The Salas Team Realty , that story starts with their leaders ’ healthcare experience .
In 2000 , Shelly Salas visited the hospital on base at Fort Hood where she and her husband were both stationed as active duty military . At 35 weeks pregnant , Mrs . Salas had an unexplained fever and her unborn daughter , who normally kicked like a little soccer player , had stopped moving .
An ultrasound revealed baby Bryonna had gastroschisis , a birth defect that prevents the abdominal wall from closing , allowing the intestines to exit through a hole near the belly button . “ It looked like something was just floating around in there with her ,” says Mrs . Salas . “ At first we thought it was just the umbilical cord . Then they told us that I needed to have her quickly to prevent us losing her altogether . It was terrifying .”
After an emergency cesarean section , doctors wrapped Bryonna in plastic to prevent infection , took a photo for her parents , and sent her directly to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ( NICU ) at Baylor Scott &
White in Temple . “ It all happened so quickly that we didn ’ t even get to hold her ,” Mrs . Salas said . “ Because I was in recovery , I didn ’ t get to meet her until five days later .”
After surgery to repair the hole in her abdominal wall , Bryonna struggled to maintain her weight without the help of a feeding tube . Not long after she was finally released , weighing just 5 pounds , Bryonna was back in the hospital with hypothermia , a common complication for babies with gastroschisis .
“ She was our first child , we were young , and we had no family here ,” Mrs . Salas says . “ The nurses at Baylor Scott & White shared this level of love that I never would have thought possible . I wanted to be there 24-7 with her , but when I had to leave , I knew the staff were taking care of her just as if she was their own .”
Bryonna was finally able to go home after 5 months in the hospital . Her experience inspired
Mrs . Salas to support other babies in need of critical healthcare . For the past five years , her realty firm has partnered with Children ’ s Miracle Network to donate a percentage of their sales commissions . “ I know how scary it is as a parent to have a sick child , and many of our team members have also had children treated at McLane Children ’ s ,” says Mrs . Salas . “ We believe that as realtors we are here to serve our community , and Baylor Scott & White McLane Children ’ s is a vital asset in that community . We all need the hospital to have the best resources so the kids can have great care .”
The Salas family will celebrate Bryonna ’ s 20th birthday this December . “ We are so thankful to this hospital . We become more devoted to supporting McLane Children ’ s every time our daughter reaches a new milestone in her life , knowing that it wouldn ’ t be possible without the extraordinary care she received .”
The Salas Team Realty presents their annual donation to McLane Children ’ s in 2019 . Bryonna and her parents celebrate her high school graduation .
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THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE CENTRAL TEXAS FOUNDATION NEWS / WINTER 2020