From NICU to College: One Girl’s Journey

As soon as she gave birth to her daughter, Michelle Tucker knew something was wrong. Just days after Savannah was born, she was airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center and underwent her first of many surgeries. Physicians told Michelle and her husband Michael that their newborn baby was born with a cranial deformity called craniosynostosis, or cloverleaf skull. Over time, Savannah was diagnosed with additional conditions, including hydrocephalus, stroke and cerebral palsy and ultimately affected Savannah’s growth and her ability to walk.

Savannah’s initial prognosis was grim, and there was a point when she nearly died. She has grown up at UVA, spending holidays and birthdays at the hospital. Over the years, with the care of a team of doctors from neurosciences, plastic surgery and orthopedics, she has overcome the odds.

Watch her story.