One goodbye. That’s all Jayme Hazen wanted. Minutes after giving birth to Lukas, her son would be airlifted 40 miles away to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Doctors had told her to expect the worst during her pregnancy, and once the helicopter took off with Lukas onboard, the odds of survival weren’t in his favor.
“We didn’t know if I would see him alive again,” Jayme said. “So [the air care team] was so kind, they brought him in, let me say goodbye to him, let me tell him I love him, just in case I never got to say that again.”
The next morning, Jayme and her husband made the hour-long drive from their hometown Muscatine, Iowa, to Iowa City. Once they arrived, Dr. John Dagle of UIHC had more disheartening news: Lukas had severe brain damage, and his care team needed to know how much intervention they should provide in what would be an uphill effort.
“Josh and I both agreed that if Luke fought this hard to survive, we wanted them to fight right along with them,” Jayme said. “And from that moment on, they never looked back. They did everything they could to make sure he survived.”
Before Lukas, Jayme had had four miscarriages, but 12 years later she is proud to call Lukas not just her son, but also an older brother to two adoring younger siblings. The family of five will spend Friday night at Kinnick Stadium for Iowa football’s game against Nebraska. They will be there to support Lukas, the contest’s honorary Kid Captain, and pay tribute to UIHC – a place that saved Lukas’ life and provided Jayme a family.
“I don’t know how you say, ‘Thank you,’ to them because literally every member of my family has been their hospital,” Jayme said, “It’s been pretty amazing.”
When Jayme had ultrasounds of Lukas during her pregnancy, local doctors detected multiple brain bleeds. Born premature at 34 weeks, UIHC doctors diagnosed Lukas with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, a rare condition in which the mother’s body reacts to the pregnancy with antibodies, resulting in a low blood platelet count. According to the Mayo Clinic, platelets are colorless blood cells that help blood clot and stop bleeding in blood vessel injuries.
As part of his treatment, Lukas received double transfusions of platelets and blood and was discharged after five weeks. His condition later led to a cerebral palsy diagnosis at around two years old, Jayme said. As a result, Lukas relies on a wheelchair for transportation and an eye gaze device for communication. In addition, he suffers from cortical vision impairment, where his brain can’t process what he sees, as well as serious seizures.
In 2023, Lukas had spinal infusion surgery for his scoliosis and before that, two hip reconstruction therapies. He still visits UIHC regularly for appointments about his back, hips, and seizures. When he’s not in the hospital, Lukas loves to spend time outdoors – swimming, fishing, and camping with his family are some of his favorite activities.
“He is the happiest kid,” Jayme said. “He had the most genuine smile you will ever see.”
A sixth-grader, Lukas attends school in Muscatine, splitting his time between general and special education classes. Jayme said he loves to be around his peers, and his eye gaze device allows him to greet others, ask how they are doing, answer yes or no, tell if something hurts, and more.
“It’s still kind of in the primitive stages, but he’s making leaps and bounds with that, which is awesome,” Jayme said.
Through physical therapy, Lukas has developed skills such as using a cup and straw. He practices walking, assisted by a treadmill and harness.
“He’s worked really hard over the past couple of years to regain some of the skills that he had and to learn new skills,” Jayme said.
Another one of Lukas’ pastimes is to attend his siblings’ sports games as the “ultimate cheerleader,” according to Jayme. His sister Raylee and brother Keagyn were each born prematurely inside the NICU. After years of not being successful with pregnancies, Jayme said UIHC provided treatment for her to have more children. This involved large doses of steroids and six-hour-long sessions of Intravenous immunoglobulin infusions.
“They treat you like a family,” Jayme said of UIHC. “They include you, versus just a patient number.”
From walking on the field back at Kids’ Day at Kinnick with Hawkeye tight end Luke Lachey to standing on the turf before 70,000 fans on Friday night, Lukas will be the center of attention.
“We’re so excited for it to be Luke’s turn to go on the field and wave at everyone,” Jayme said. “Hopefully, he can encourage some of the kids that are in [the hospital].”