Avery Campbell

Home: Bakersville, NC

Age: 12

Avery was born unexpectedly at 23 weeks gestation weighing just 1lb 1oz in a small community hospital with no NICU. Thankfully a specialist team from a neighboring hospital was airlifted in just as he was born. At first the doctors were going to let Avery pass because of how underdeveloped he was but being the fighter he is, he took a breath. They decided that if he was going to fight, they would also fight for him.

He was immediately intubated and airlifted to Mission Hospital where he spent the next 4.5 months. 

The specialists gave him a 10% chance of survival but he was determined to prove them wrong. We drove the 1.5 hour drive to the hospital every day to sit by his incubator and although there were days when the doctors didn’t have much hope, he fought to survive and we were finally able to bring him home. Today, Avery is a vibrant, inquisitive, happy 12 year old autistic boy who loves video games, his puppy Honey, and his teachers Mrs. Lord and Miss Morgan.