{"id":217942,"date":"2020-02-04T16:46:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T22:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=217942"},"modified":"2020-02-04T17:04:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T23:04:40","slug":"ellie-21-weeks-guests-state-of-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/ellie-21-weeks-guests-state-of-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom and daughter Ellie, born at 21 weeks, to be special guests at State of the Union"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every year, the president invites a group of special guests to come to the State of the Union, who, as the White House puts it<\/a>, “represents the very best of America and people the world over.” Two of those guests are very unique indeed: a little girl who was born prematurely at 21 weeks, and her mother.<\/p>\n

Eliora “Ellie” Schneider, born at 21 weeks and six days, is one of the youngest preemies to survive in the United States. Live Action News reported<\/a> on little Eliora in 2018 when she turned one. Her life is an example of how giving every child a chance at life — regardless of gestational age or currently accepted age of “viability” (the ability to survive outside the womb) — is so very important.<\/p>\n

“With the help of an incredible medical team \u2014 and the prayers of her parents and their community \u2014 Ellie kept beating the odds, exceeding milestones, and fighting for life,” the White House press release reads. “Today, Ellie is a happy, healthy 2-year-old girl who brings endless joy to her mother, Robin, and her entire family.” That medical team was at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.<\/p>\n

Live Action News noted previously<\/a>, “Saint Luke\u2019s was the first hospital in the area to initiate a program designed to treat very premature babies born before 24 weeks of pregnancy. According to KSBH Kansas City<\/a>\u00a0(emphasis added), ‘Nationally\u2026 babies born prior to the 24-week mark\u2026 have a 6 percent survival rate, but at Saint Luke\u2019s, they have a 50 percent survival rate<\/strong>.’ It\u2019s clear that medical intervention has made a huge difference.” Recently, the British Association of Perinatal Medicine determined that children at younger and younger ages are surviving, prompting UK doctors to recommend lowering the age of “viability” by two weeks<\/a>.<\/p>\n