Elicia Hatfield and Micah Moore of Grand Ledge, Mich., welcomed their first child, a baby girl, to the world on Aug. 6, 2022, at E.W. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, part of University of Michigan Health.

But their joy was tempered when they found out their daughter had a complex intestinal condition that affected her ability to digest food.

“The doctors in the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Sparrow had noticed that she had some stomach acid coming up. It was unusual,” Hatfield said.

Little Auriya Moore, who was born prematurely at 32 weeks, was diagnosed with duodenal stenosis, or the narrowing of her small intestine. 

Her story is an example of how U-M Health and Sparrow work together to ensure children have access to the best possible pediatric care and leading-edge medicine close to home. Sparrow recently became part of U-M Health but has been partnering with U-M Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital  for several years.

Diagnoses and a transport to Ann Arbor

Auriya was placed in Sparrow’s NICU and under the care of Michigan State University neonatal faculty, specially trained nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals.

“Kind of seeing the doctors all come in at once, probably about like six or seven, was a little nerve wracking because I wasn't sure of the news, what they would say,” Moore said.

“Sparrow, and especially the nurses in the NICU, they comforted us a lot. They continuously told us, ‘It's OK, we've seen better cases, we've seen worse cases. Your daughter is going to be fine,’” Hatfield added.

Auriya needed surgery in order to eat. She also had evidence of a structural heart defect and Down syndrome.

Because of her complex case, at just six days old, she was transported to Mott in Ann Arbor, where her case was overseen by pediatric surgeon Erin E. Perrone, M.D., a Mott physician who also works at Sparrow’s Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic.

Perrone, a Lansing-area native, is among a small number of pediatric surgeons in Michigan.

“Duodenal stenosis is often associated with her Down syndrome and cardiac disease, which makes the surgery a little more complicated,” said Perrone.

“This is a great example of one of the cases we bring to Ann Arbor for surgery.”

Sparrow and Mott have combined to expand access to pediatric specialty care for local families through U-M Health at Sparrow Children’s Center.

The goal is to provide care as close to home as possible for the convenience of families, while relying on the expertise of U-M Health for more complex cases.

Auriya’s parents said Sparrow and U-M Health caregivers provided incredible support during a difficult time.

“They were there for us,” Hatifeld said.

Recovery and follow up care

Perrone transferred Auriya back to Sparrow’s NICU a week after the successful surgery in Ann Arbor.

Because of the partnerships between Sparrow, U-M Health and Michigan State University, Perrone was also able to check on Auriya after she returned to Sparrow and now follows her care at the pediatric surgery clinic in Lansing.

“The first thing that we have that a lot of places don't is we have the same surgical team, so the same surgeons and the same partners got to see her in both areas, which is really unique and really interesting,“ Perrone said.

Access to leading edge care will only continue to grow as Sparrow joined U-M Health in April 2023, with the goal of creating a statewide system of care.

“I think we will only continue to add more and more specialties that will help provide care more locally, which is really great,” said Perrone.

Auyira, who left Sparrow just 30 days after her birth, is now healthy and enjoys eating. Her parents credit Sparrow and U-M Health for delivering the highest quality pediatric care needed for their daughter to live a long and healthy life.

"We're here now. She's healthy, her scar is healed and every three months-ish we go for a checkup,” Hatifeld said. “Everyone was so professional, and kind and we felt very comfortable at both hospitals.”

Learn more about leading-edge pediatric care at Sparrow, part of University of Michigan Health.