Sam I am

Before Sam Erickson was even born on Jan 1, 2009, he was a tiny miracle and a blessing for his parents, Matt and Debby Erickson, who tried for five years to conceive their firstborn child.

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Last spring they decided to try in-vitro fertilization and were thrilled when Debby got pregnant on the first attempt.

It was an uneventful and normal pregnancy for Debby, who is the Crow Wing County auditor, and they were excited that their son was due on Dec. 23, two days before Christmas.

But Christmas came and went, and Debby was still pregnant. Debby joked she wanted him to arrive before the new year so they'd have a nice little tax deduction. That didn't happen either. Matt's coworkers at the Brainerd Dispatch, where he works as a staff writer, teased him that Sam would become Crow Wing County's first New Year's baby, and he'd have to write the story himself.

Sam Erickson was all smiles as he sat with his parents, Matt and Debby Erickson, in their north Brainerd home. Sam will celebrate his first birthday on New Year's Day. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.

On Dec. 30 and a week overdue, Debby, sick and dehydrated with the flu, had an appointment with her doctor at St. Joseph's Medical Center. While her doctor offered to induce her, the couple decided to wait a couple days until Debby was feeling better. Stress tests taken at the time found that the baby was doing well.

"He was in no hurry to come out," Debby said of Sam.

Around 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, nine days after her due date, her contractions began. They waited a few hours to check into the hospital, since they live nearby in north Brainerd, but became increasingly concerned when Debby hadn't felt the baby move all day. The baby had been very active up until that point, she said. Debby was hooked up to a monitor and Sam was doing well. But when she was given pitocin, a drug to speed up the labor, Sam's heart rate would dip.

The decision was then made that Debby would have a C-section and Samuel John was born at 6:41 p.m. Jan. 1, weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 20-1/2 inches long. The C-section went well but Sam had swallowed some meconium while in utero so about 10 p.m. that night the nursing staff kept him in the nursery so they could monitor him because his blood sugars were low. Exhausted, the new parents went to sleep. An hour later, they were woken up because Sam was having seizures. The seizures weren't severe or violent and caused Sam's hand and foot to move in circles. However, doctors weren't able to control or stop the seizures.

At 2 a.m., Father Tony Wroblewski arrived and baptized Sam before the baby was transported via ambulance to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. There was no room in the ambulance for Matt, so he raced home to pack a few things and picked up his mother-in-law, Theresa Goble, and drove to the Twin Cities. They arrived about 5:30 a.m.

Sam had suffered a 10-minute seizure in the ambulance on the ride there. They later learned that Sam had suffered a stroke because of a lack of oxygen before or during his birth, which caused the seizures. The stroke had affected both rear lobes of his brain, which could have damaged his sight and ability to eat and walk. It was unclear how badly, if at all, his brain may have been damaged and his chances of developing epilepsy or cerebral palsy increased. They were initially told Sam might have to remain hospitalized for three months. He was kept heavily sedated and on a ventilator for the first couple of days at Children's.

"It was a bit of a blur at the beginning," said Matt. "That was the toughest time for me. I didn't know what was going on and I'd been up for 24 hours. I was really overwhelmed because of what was happening and lack of sleep piled on top of that. You can't take it all in. And when we found out he had a stroke, that was scary."

Despite suffering a stroke and seizures following his birth last New Year's Day, Sam Erickson, who was giving his dad, Matt, a hard time this month, is a healthy and happy boy. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.

While Matt was at Children's with Sam, Debby had to remain at the Brainerd hospital alone for a couple days until she was discharged, earlier than usual for those who have a C-section, so she could be with her husband and son. It was heart-wrenching to be so far away from her baby boy, whom she only got to see for about an hour, she said.

"You hear the word 'stroke' and it's a really bad thing," said Debby.

But Sam continued to progress each day he was at Children's Hospital. He was discharged 12 days later during a snowstorm. It took the family six hours to drive home to Brainerd, a trip normally finished in two hours. Within a couple months, Sam was weaned off all of his anti-seizure medications and has not suffered a seizure since his ambulance ride down to the Twin Cities.

Amazingly, Sam has suffered no permanent health complications as a result of the stroke or seizures. While he is checked on by a physical therapist through the Paul Bunyan Special Education Cooperative in Brainerd every couple months and has regular visits with a neurologist, he is doing well. He is also developmentally on track and there are no indications he'll develop epilepsy or has cerebral palsy.

"You're just a big, happy miracle, aren't you?," Debby said to a smiling Sam.

Debby also had her own medical complications following Sam's birth. She suffered a hematoma, or blood clots, in her incision from her C-section, which meant she had to keep the wound open for three months so it could heal from the inside out. It was not a pleasant experience, especially when she spent nearly two weeks after Sam was born in a hotel room and most of her time in his hospital room.

Sam is healthy and happy. He has 10 teeth and isn't walking yet but will be soon, said his parents. He pulls himself up and walks alongside the furniture. While he can be headstrong and independent, he's also very loving.

"He's a very happy kid," said Debby. "He talks a lot."

"Like his mom," added Matt.

"Like his dad," responded Debby. "He's a ham. He gives grins and smiles to everyone he sees. He smiles more often than not. He wakes up smiling."

Sam will celebrate his birthday with his parents on New Year's Day but will have a family party later to celebrate his birthday with his cousin, Jesse Goble, who turns 1 just 20 days after Sam.

"I can't believe how fast the last year went by," said Debby. "It just does not seem possible."

"He's the best gift in 2009 we could ever have," said Matt.

JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.