06-05-2025
A precious gem from CHKD
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Four-year-old Ruby is a true gem, but her name is not the only reason why she's precious.
That word best describes how Ruby Stancill entered the world — precious, and tiny.
Ruby's mother, Heather Stancill, was pregnant for just 25 weeks when she gave birth, with Ruby weighing in at one pound, six ounces.
'Everything was about her weight,' Heather Stancill said. 'Trying to get her to gain weight. You know, get big.'
But there was a series of health issues before Ruby could get strong. She suffered necrotizing enterocolitis — a serious intestinal condition. She did x-rays every 12 hours and had a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) put in her thigh to administer her medicines. The PICC line is a long and thin flexible tube that's inserted into a vein in the upper arm to provide medicine, fluids, blood products and nutrition into a large vein near the heart.
'I mean it's crazy to see,' said Heather Stancill while fighting back tears.
Ruby still sees a number of specialists at CHKD. But her mother marvels at the journey.
'CHKD is like our second home,' Heather Stancill said. She added that, in the next few years, they all hope Ruby will not need to see specialists so much and will just be able to go to the doctor like a normal child.
But Ruby is on her way. Her streak of independence comes from a long struggle for something other children often take for granted.
'To go from one pound, six ounces to a feisty 4-year-old girl, you would never know [she] was in the NICU four 3 months fighting for her life,' Heather Stancill said.
There is plenty of fight left in this four-year old, especially when she has the strength of many walking with her.
This Virginia Beach family is combining gratitude with strength while loving on their little girl who is beating the odds. They will join thousands this Saturday in downtown Norfolk for the CHKD Run Walk for the Kids — an event emblematic of a child's desire to soar.
'The Run/Walk is just a way for us to give back to the hospital,' Heather Stancill said. 'It's hard sometimes as an individual to give back, so to have a team and raise money, a lot of my family is out of state, so it's their way to donate to our team and help support the hospital that saved her.'
There is strength in numbers. Be a part of this year's CHKD Run Walk for the Kids Saturday morning at Waterside in downtown Norfolk.
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