Lauren and Joe were excited to welcome their third son, Malcolm, into the world in June 2023. At 39 weeks, his mother, Lauren went to the hospital for labor induction to begin the process of delivery.

Unfortunately, there were complications during birth and Malcolm was diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a type of brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen. The hospital staff quickly administered breathing assistance. It was decided that the best course of treatment would be a cooling therapy.

Lauren, a neuropsychologist who has experience with HIE, was familiar with what the diagnosis could mean, so she and Joe made the choice to transfer him to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center that night.

In the NICU of the Children’s Center, Malcolm’s care team stabilized his breathing with machine assistance. Doctors explained that the brain damage suffered was severe and his organs were shutting down.

While waiting and resting, Lauren and Joe received constant communication on Malcolm’s status from his care team, but when a doctor came running down the hallway, they knew something had happened.

Malcolm’s heart had stopped, and was working hard to breathe on the ventilator, but he was stabilized.  “He was requiring all they were giving him. He wasn’t doing much on his own,” says Joe. The doctors wanted Lauren and Joe to be able to see and hold Malcolm in a stable condition.

“We weren’t sure if we were going to have any more time with him,” says Lauren. “Thank God that they got him back and that we were able to.”

Lauren and Joe held Malcolm as he took his last breaths. He lived for 13 hours.

Malcolm’s parents recognized that the doctors were doing everything they could to help Malcolm but also be there for them. “They all clearly cared, personally,” says Joe, “not just about Malcolm but about us and our experience. Those two things can be hard to find together. And when you do, it’s just a really special place.”

Lauren adds, “I’ve worked with a lot of medical providers and I’ve never seen that level of compassion. They gave me the sense this wasn’t just a job they had to get through, but that they actually cared.”

“Baby Malcom,” as they call him, holds a special place in the hearts of his parents and two brothers and the staff at the Children’s Center. Lauren recalls the doctors saying, “it was an honor to care for your son,” and how special that was to her.

At their home is a tree planted in their yard and a garden spot for him. Pictures of him adorn his brothers’ rooms. And whenever they see a rainbow, or a beautiful sunrise or sunset, they remember their perfect boy.

“It’s important for people to know that we’ll always have a third son,” says Lauren. “He’ll always be with us, and he will never be forgotten.”