I was a Preemie & this is my NICU Story

Hello my name is Micaela Ryann Ziegler and I am 18 years old. I live in a little township within Kalamazoo County and I survived being a preemie and this is my story.

Almost 18 and a half years ago I was born, May 1st 1996 changed my parents lives forever. Little did they know that there little girl was going to make an appearance that day to be born none the less a preemie born at 26.4 weeks and to spend 84 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Bronson Hospital. Now let's get to the nitty gritty details.

May 1,1996 at 1:35 p.m. A baby girl was born at 1 lb. o.7 oz. 13 3/8 in. As I was being whisked away my mom got a quick glance and then I was whisked right away my mom didn't get to really see me until that evening. I was hooked up to a breathing tube, venalator, IV's oxygen and pulseoux. Still that day of May 1 I almost lost my left leg because of a really bad blood clot. 

This picture was from the day I was born.

Then fast forward to Mothers Day it was my Moms first Mother's Day and she couldn't even haver her baby girl home with her and I almost died that day because my heart almost stopped. Then I almost died two other times because of water getting in one of my tubes and the other time I turned completely blue. 

Then slowly but surely I began to gain strength to where I was pulling out my breathing tubes apparently I was trying to tell the doctor I didn't need help anymore! 

Finally it came to the day I could come home so we thought.. I had been having problems with my eyes and I had, had many eye surgeries and low and behold the eye doctor whisked me right away and I went into surgery on the day I was supposed to come home. 

It finally came to the day where I actually did come home and my parents couldn't have been more happy to bring me home  the days were going on and I grew and grew and became a very active little girl you wouldn't have even thought I was in a fight for my life. 

Low and behold I started preschool and I did great in my classss. But today I am happy to say that I am a Senior in High School and I cheer on the varsity team and I throw shot put and disc for our track team! I survived being a preemie and the NICU.

From 1 lb 9.7 oz to 154.7 lbs. 

I live life with so much joy and happiness! I can do anything I put my mind to with hard work and determination!

Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever."

This is My NICU Story! 

Good luck to those running the 5k today for the Bronson Children's Hospital NICU. Thank you so much to those of you that are it means a lot to the families that your doing this to raise money for the NICU &families! It means a lot to me that people would do that for us NICU families,especially with us being a NICU family 18 and a half years ago! 

•college is approaching soon•

   Most people don't know where they want to go to college or they have this high fetched idea that there gonna go to some great college or university. I'm that one in a million person who knows where they want to go to college, what they want to major in and that they know they still want to play a sport in college. 

  I know that Grace College is the college for me it has all what I'm looking for in a college, with there academics (elementary education) and there athletic program (cheer program). I see myself growing great friendships in college and I can see myself growing spiritually so much! Now alls I have to do is one apply and get accepted and two tryout for there cheer team and hopefully make it. The verse that makes it even better is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

So alls I have to do is do great when I get ready for this tryout! 

  For one some of you may say, you seem really quite Micaela and I don't see you as a cheerleader. Well think again cheerleading has brought me out of my shell and made me less shy if that's how you want to put it. It's made me go for things, you can do something if you put your mind to it, work hard, and determination!  I love cheering and I really do see myself cheering in college! I can't wait to get accepted and get on the cheer team especially if and when it's Gods plan for my life! Soon I'll be a Lancer but until then I'll be a future Lancer! 

WAKE 2014

  In this blog post I'm going to tell you about camp, this year VOX summercamp things changed and changed for the better!
 We got there Monday morning, we got time to unpack and make our beds and everything, well its hard to do that when you lose your luggage. I knew right then it was going to be a great week because the devil was trying to do something in me to were I wouldn't get fed, or get what I came for. But no worries someone found my luggage so I had my Bible and journal for night one at summercamp. It may have been night one but Pastor Will didn't mess around he went straight to the Word. Which I really liked that, his messages in different ways were like boom boom boom to me.They were such effective messages that I was changed when I left that chapel every single time. But the week went on and Pastor Will kept talking about influence and how we can be an influence in our generation and that was one of the many things that happened that week. This quote that Pastor Will said really stuck with me all week at camp and it says this  "for those who know there God will do great exploits and do great things!"
  I always knew prayer was important and that week man I went up another notch with God in prayer it was the most amazing feeling ever. There were nights in pre service prayer that I didn't want it to end because God's presence was so thick, but that presence was still there even when we went into worship! It was absolutely beautiful seeing God change peoples lives including mine! Each night just got better and better and Friday night.. Oh Friday night we had a dance party, yes you read it right a dance party but this dance party was for Jesus! Oh it was so amazing!
  I could try and describe what it feels like to be in God's presence but its just so sweet and tangible that you never want to leave it. As the days went on I could just feel something stirring up in me and in my heart that something good and something big was going to happen and it did.  I learned that day to be bold, not timid. It's a thing I've dealt with and it feels great to be bold and confident. One thing I remember thinking is I'd rather have 1 true and real  friend than 100 fake friends who pretend to be my friends but leave me when I really need them.

  I grew as much as I learned this year at camp and I can't thank everyone enough the Pastors and all the volunteers that made WAKE 2014 happen. Thank you all so much for your endless hard work and countless hours. To help students like me get it and grow in our faith!

It was a life changing week for everyone, no one went home the way we came into camp!

Have a wonderful weekend!

•Thank you for all the support!•

  Good news! God is good all the time and all the time God is good! Within 2 days two couples have helped me raise the money for camp and I am eternally grateful for there help! Thank you all so much for the prayers! This really shows me that God wants me to go to camp this year! He is so faithful and amazing and just such a doer of His word! Psalms 37:4 "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires."(Psalms 37:4 NLT)! Thank you all for your prayers and your support they are much appreciated! 

Hope you all have a blessed day! 

~Micaela  

Support Micaela to go to Summercamp

Hello my name is Micaela Ziegler, 

I would love to go to Summercamp this summer through my church and this is where you come in. I need help raising money I need $384 by July 6th and I'm really believing God for this money for camp. I strongly believe in the power of prayer. I also truly believe that God will meet you where you are at and will give you the desires of your heart! My verse for this is Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desires."Let me explain to you why I want to go to camp. Camp is a week full of God, friends fun, and just amazing encounters with God. I had the opportunity to go last year and my life radically changed and I got so much out of the worship sessions, the messages and everything. I'd really LOVE to experience that again! Through every message I sat through I got something out of it and God really showed up that week! I grew deeper with God through that week also I made lasting Godly friendships that will last a lifetime! I would really love and appreciate your help with raising this money, any amount is fine if you want to help, give what you feel led to give! It'd mean the world to me. you can make checks payable to Micaela Ziegler and you can send cash as well to the following address:

MIcaela Ziegler
3422 West Wembley Lane,
Kalamazoo, Mi 49009

Thank you for all your support! 

Micaela Ziegler

Have a great day!

POSTS

•Grandmas are extraordinary.•

  We all know that grandparents love to spoil there grandchildren. It's the Grandma's that you love to spend time with because you know you'll get something special to eat when you stay at their house. But today's blogpost is about my Grandma who means the world to me Bonnie Lou (Simonton) Harper. I love you Grams! 

  Grandma your more than just my Grandma you're my friend, partner in crime, sassy, hilarious, fun to be around. These past few years have been hard with her having Alheimzers but she is still funny as ever! We've shared so many laughs and there have been times I've almost cried because we were laughing so hard! 

   I'm the granddaughter who takes selfies with my Grandma, it's not to be annoying it's to keep record of all of memories we've shared, so that I can remember them for many years to come! 

I think she's got an inner fashionista in her, because she helped me pick out a cute dress! I'm telling ya she's a fashionista!! 

   I can't even start to tell you how much she means to me! She's the emerald to my necklace, diamond to my ring! I'm so blessed to have her as a Grandma! She's always been there for me! She took care of me as a little girl to when I was sick she would always know how to make me feel better! I love you Grams! Every Saturday we have lunch with her and my Grandpa and it's always such a fun time! She's diabetic so I help her with the glucose machine and I'm like her nurse! So we have this joke and when I have everything ready I'm like Grams your nurse is ready for you! We always laugh about that! Also I love getting to do her hair and I make it all pretty! 

I love you Grams! Xoxo love your miracle baby Micaela Ryann Ziegler 

Here are some pictures of Grams&I having fun! 

This is also an inside joke with her so she had to wear masks so she'd be able to breath outside so I was like your like Bonnie the Bandit! And we still laugh about this! So funny! I love you Bonnie Lou! 

I hope y'all have a great weekend and a great Fathers Day! 

•Every girls Dream•

Every girls dream is to get asked to the Prom. Here's the story of how I got asked to prom when I thought I'd just go with friends. April 16th changed my plans for prom for the better! 

Well I thought it was just a normal Wednsday at school until 4th hour in Choir. So what happened is we were about to start sight reading and all of a sudden Doug( a boy in my grade that I'm friends with) walks in with flowers and starts walking towards me and he comes up to me and we have a normal conversation and then he said he had a question and I was like yeah. Then he said "will you go to prom with me?" And I said "Yes!" It was seriously the sweetest thing ever! I'm super excited to go to Prom with Doug! 

 That is a day I'll never forget, I'm embarking in a new area of my life. It's really different when you get asked to go to prom, there are the details that you have to figure out which has had my mind spinning in circles but at the same time I'm excited and nervous. But one thing I know is we are going to have a great time at prom next weekend! 

  Just wanted to share this with my friends and family! I hope you all have a great weekend and a fabulous week! 😊 

These are the beautiful flowers that I got from Doug!