On May 28, 2012, Kellie Whyte and Matt White experienced one of the true joys in life, the birth of twins, Jaxon Maurice and Zoie Sloane at Great Plains Regional Medical Center (GPRMC) in North Platte.
The twins continued to grow and progress as most babies do. However, on December 1, joy turned to tragedy and devastation. Their father went to feed the twins their bottle and found little Zoie, who had been awake just moments earlier, unresponsive. Matt quickly summoned his wife, Kellie, who performed CPR while waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
Doctors at GPRMC were able to stabilize Zoie, who was then flown to Denver Children’s Hospital.
Initially, doctors at Denver Children’s gave the devastated parents a very bleak prognosis stating that Zoie had experienced a “near SIDS” episode, and on December 12, Matt and Kellie were forced to make the decision that no parent ever wants to make, removing their baby girl from life support. As the family waited for the inevitable to happen, Zoie miraculously began breathing on her own and on December 17, they were treated to the most amazing sound possible; the crying of little Zoie.
To the amazement of doctors, Zoie continues to make small improvements. She is currently receiving speech, occupational and physical therapy, and here therapists are thrilled with her accomplishments. However, the road to recovery for Zoie is still a long one.
The family has received a tremendous outpouring of prayers, love and support during this unbelievably difficult time. But, the ordeal has been extremely costly and the family needs your help.
Friends of the family are organizing a fundraising event to assist the family with medical expenses. The event will feature a bake sale, vendor booths and a silent auction, and will be held on Saturday February 2 form 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Knights of Columbus building located at 515 E. 5th in North Platte. Additionally, donations can be made to the Zoie White Fund at Wells Fargo Bank and t-shirts can be purchased at White Tail Screen Print for $15.00. Friends have also established a Facebook page to update the status of Zoie. All proceeds will benefit Zoie and her family.