When Lara was 23 weeks pregnant, she went into labor. The Maui resident was medevac'd to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children on Oahu and was put on bed rest for one week until her son, Chance Kealii, was born.
"The doctors would come in every day and tell us the percentages of his 'chances' for survival if he were born that day," Lara recalls. "That's how he got his name – he defied the odds."
Because he only weighed 1 pound 9 ounces at birth, Chance had to be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 100 days.
"Everything was day by day; so many things could go wrong," Lara says. "I had no previous experience with a NICU, and then I was living in the NICU."
She counts the support she received from the nurses, social workers and those at the Ronald McDonald House for helping her get through uncertain times.
Now, Chance is an active, athletic 6-year-old who plays baseball, basketball and soccer.
"Sports are his passion," says Lara. "He would play all three at once if he could!"
He's the tallest boy in his class and has a strong-willed personality.
"He's a fighter," says Mom. "I guess he's living up to his name."
Published on: June 27, 2016