One family is opening up about their daughter’s premature birth and extended stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Haley and Justin Sullivan, a Wisconsin-based couple, welcomed their daughter Ellie three months early. Doctors told the couple that the little one wasn’t receiving enough oxygen and nutrients during the pregnancy.

Their daughter was born weighing only 2 lbs., 1 oz., spending more than three months in the NICU.

Their daughter has since been able to return home after her stay in the NICU, and the family is savoring every minute with their little girl.

As a way to remember their difficult journey, the doting parents keep a string of colorful beads nearby. Each bead represents a day that their baby girl spent in the NICU, with each of the colors marking a specific milestone or procedure throughout her stay.

Ellie has continued to make positive progress since coming home. The loving mom told a local news outlet WBAY that her daughter is a go-getter, noting she is keeping up with her unadjusted age group’s milestones.

“She is keeping up with milestones. In the NICU, she has an adjusted age and an unadjusted age,” she explained. “So, she’s keeping up with her unadjusted age, which is pretty phenomenal. She’s going to be walking any day now. She’s a go-getter.”

Now, the Sullivans are serving as the 2026 March for Babies Ambᴀssador Family. They told the outlet that they hope sharing their daughter’s story reminds others navigating a tough NICU journey that they aren’t alone.

The March for Babies walk returned to the Fox Valley on Saturday, June 7, for the first time since 2019. The event aims to help support March of Dimes research, education and programs for families impacted by premature birth and pregnancy complications.

For anyone who wants to support the Sullivan family, donations can be made to the fundraising effort here.