A young mother who spent 156 days in hospital with her newborn son was hit with a second bit of good news when her boyfriend proposed just before the new family walked out the door.
Regan Daughtery, 23, was hospitalized in Lindale, Texas, with a kidney infection in late October, which led doctors to discover her baby was not growing.
She was airlifted to a more specialized hospital in Dallas, and her son Ezra was born on November 6 at 25 weeks old. He weighed just 14 ounces.
To survive on its own, a human baby must be a minimum of 17 ounces, so Regan, her boyfriend Dillon Fitts, 24, and baby Ezra stayed in NICU for nearly six months.
A new mother was able to take her newborn son home after the pair spent 156 days together in hospital
Baby Ezra was born by emergency c-section in November after his mother Regan Daughtery, 23, contracted a kidney infection and complications with her pregnancy were discovered
But nearly six months later, Baby Ezra is doing well and has gone home with his family
As word spread about the new family’s troubles, they gained a massive social media following of supporters
The couple leaned on each other through the ordeal, as Ezra stayed on life support, and as word of the infant’s battle got around, they found a large, supportive following on social media became another source of strength.
When Ezra was finally discharged on April 10, the new family couldn’t wait to share their happiness, and live streamed Regan being pushed out of the hospital in a chair.
But the new mother – and hundreds of family members, friends and supporters – were in for a big shock.
Moments after Regan and Ezra were out the hospital door, the devoted boyfriend and father had dropped a knee and was asking the mother of his child to marry him.
‘[Dillon and I] were so excited to go home finally but sad because our nurses and doctors had become our family and we had to say goodbye to them, Regan said.
‘They pushed me around the NICU to do the goodbyes but when we got down to the lobby, a big surprise was waiting for me.
‘Dillon had close friends and family lined up and they all handed me flowers. At the end, everyone gathered in the main lobby and he and I said our goodbyes.
‘Dillon then got down on one knee and popped the question I had been waiting for.’
Hundreds were able to share in the romantic proposal as family members livestreamed it to Facebook
After their troubles, Regan says she is still shocked she was able to bring home her son and is now engaged to be married
Ezra (pictured) and his mom became close with the NICU nurses, and Regan was seen saying a tearful goodbye to dozens of them as they came to farewell her
Dillon had also arranged for his and his girlfriend’s families to be present to see Regan off from the hospital
Regan said she was ‘completely shocked’ by his romantic gesture – though the pair had earlier agreed they would marry.
‘We knew from the day we met that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together so I knew one day it would happen,’ she said.
‘When Ezra was hospitalized we weren’t in a hurry because he was our main focus, so when he proposed I was so surprised.’
Now, even though the pair are home with their baby, being a family still hasn’t quite sunk in.
‘We still wake up and look at each other and say there is a baby in our house,’ Ms Daughtery said.
‘It’s such a shock that we have finally made it to this point and are engaged.’
The couple are seen leaving the hospital with supporters wearing t-shirts with their son’s name on them
Regan said she and Dillon had always known they would spend their lives together – the proposal was simply a matter of time