About five months pregnant on June 3, 2020, Beth Hutchinson went to her doctor thinking she might have a urinary tract infection. Instead, the first-time mom was stunned when her obstetrician said she was going into labor. Beth texted her husband Rick — who was at home in Somerset, Wisconsin, due to COVID-19 restrictions — to pack her hospital bag.
“I didn’t even have a labor plan ready,” Beth, 36, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “I had only just got to my halfway point of my pregnancy, so it was like, ‘I’m not ready for any of this.'”
Because Beth was only 21 weeks pregnant, the couple was told that there was a 0% chance that their son would survive his birth.
“We were both like, ‘That’s just not an option,'” Beth says. “I knew he had a chance.”
Rick and Beth Hutchinson with their son Richard.Kelly Morin
After spending years trying to get pregnant, the couple refused to give up on their son.
“Family is family,” says Rick, a 40-year-old manager of a gas station. “Nobody else is going to fight for him — if we don’t fight for him, who else is going to?”
Richard Scott William Hutchinson was born at 7:15 a.m. June 5, 2020, weighing only 11.9 ounces, which is less than three-quarters of a pound.
For more on Richard Hutchinson’s ground-breaking journey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
Richard Hutchinson in the NICU in July 2020, with ear pads to protect his hearing.Courtesy Elizabeth Hutchinson
“I couldn’t say anything because I was crying,” Beth says. “I remember how tiny he was. He was smaller than my hand. But I was thinking, ‘This little man has survived his birth. He’s such a fighter, he’s going to make it.’ "
Richard spent six months in the hospital amid a series of health challenges, including two months on a ventilator, but he pushed through alongside his parents and was discharged on Dec. 4.
The Hutchinson family.Kelly Morin
Richard Hutchinson with parents Rick and Beth after being moved from the NICU to the more general infant-care center in October 2020.Courtesy Elizabeth Hutchinson
A happy and smiley toddler, Richard loves puppies and playing peek-a-boo with his father.
“This little guy has gone through so much, I couldn’t be prouder,” says Rick. “He’s my hero.”
RELATED VIDEO: Anna Faris Shares Rare Photo of Son Jack as an Infant to Highlight Premature Birth Fundraiser
In the coming months, the couple have plans to launch a nonprofit aimed at raising awareness and offering support and information for parents of premature infants.
“We just want to encourage other parents not to give up,” says Beth. “It’s so hard to believe how big Richard is now, knowing how tiny he was.”
Those interested in supporting the family can learn more on theirGoFundMe page.
source: people.com
