Hudson & Emma Ratliff

Our Story

Hudson and Emma Ratliff were born at 27 weeks gestation. They have been fighters and
overcome many obstacles since day one. Emma was born weighing 2 pounds, 1 ounce and Hudson weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces. At one point, Emma weighed 1 pound, 14 ounces. Emma spent 7 weeks in the NICU in Columbus, GA and Hudson spent 7 weeks, 6 days in the NICU in Columbus, GA. Neither child was on a ventilator during their NICU stay. Once home, everything was going smoothly until right before the twins turned 6 months old. Hudson began running high fevers with no other symptoms. His pediatrician recommended a full work up since he was born so premature. Two days later, we received a call that no parent wants. We were told to be at her office that afternoon to go over Hudson’s bloodwork. We were told that his neutrophil count was severely low and they were concerned about the possibility of Leukemia. Thankfully, he did not have Leukemia, but he was diagnosed with Neutropenia. After more needle sticks and blood work than I can count, several hospital stays, multiple visits to the Hematologist, fever protocols and feeling like we had to live in a bubble to prevent him from catching an infection, he is finally able to be a normal little boy who loves baseball and basketball.
Both kids struggled to walk and did not walk until around 18 months. Emma needed a little extra help and had to wear braces on her feet. You would never know looking at her today. She has also had a tough go at a young age, but not as rough as her brother until she was around six years old. Emma started complaining about headaches and stomach aches in the summer of 2022. They started progressing and got to the point where her teachers were calling because she could not function at school. She was said to have Absent Seizures, diagnosed with Migraines and currently sees a GI Specialist for non-weight gain. Even through all the procedures and specialist visits, she still enjoys being a tough little girl who loves showing her lambs, Belle and Hoppy and riding her horses, Taz and Honey. Through it all, God has blessed our family and our kids with people and foundations along the way that have helped us through the hard times. Our kids are the definition of fighters and sometimes it is hard to see the struggles they have currently and have had to endure looking at them now. For anyone struggling with a child in and out of the hospital or specialists office, just know you are loved and prayed for by our family because we know the struggles that you face.