‘Anything They Ask'

The most stressful moment of Gary Chilton’s life arrived when the time came to extubate his infant daughter.

After nearly two months attached to a ventilator, doctors needed to see if Olivia Chilton, born at just 25 weeks weighing 1 pound, 2 ounces, could breathe on her own. Parents Gary and Michelle Chilton looked on as hospital staff prepared for the procedure.

“They said, ‘OK, here we go,’ and they did it,” Chilton says. “They pulled that tube out of her lungs and she breathed. After that, it appeared that she was going to live.”

Olivia left the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the fall of 1996 after 97 days. She was the youngest and smallest surviving child born at Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, a title she would hold for almost two decades. Olivia would deal with some visual and auditory difficulties, but avoided more severe health outcomes associated with such a premature birth.

Despite the happy outcome, the experience left those close to her—including neonatologist Dr. Edward Co, who cared for Olivia—feeling as though more could be done for families of premature, critically ill and disabled children.

“We constantly told Dr. Co, ‘We’re so indebted to you. What can we do to pay you back?’ So, he cashed it in,” says Chilton.

Co, the Chiltons and a handful of other families came together in November 1996 to form what is now called the Oklahoma Family Network. Chilton, a litigator with 43 years of experience and a founding partner of Holladay, Chilton & Erwin, served as president of the organization for approximately 10 years.
“‘We’ll help the babies if you help the families,’” Chilton recalls Co saying to him.

Today, the Oklahoma Family Network pairs families of children with health care needs and disabilities with families who’ve had similar experiences. The mentor families provide support, resources and hope; meanwhile, the organization raises money for things like hotel rooms where families can stay while their children receive care.

During the months Olivia spent in the hospital, Chilton and Michelle spent most of their nonworking hours with her, visiting every morning and evening. They lived less than 10 minutes from Integris Baptist at the time, Chilton says. But in a state where many are hours from the closest NICU, it was easy to see the burden that families from outside city centers could face. Alongside mounting hospital bills would be the cost of travel and lodging, plus the financial pressure of missed work time and the stress of being away from home and other family members.

The Oklahoma Family Network grew into a statewide organization with a full-time staff and now helps thousands of families. Chilton assisted with the legal work such as forming the nonprofit. He and Michelle, along with the other founding families, began by pooling their money for lodging, meals and anything else that could help. “You turn these organizations over to the new generation to take it forward. That requires that the old guys step back a little,” he says.

The Chiltons also became involved with March of Dimes when the organization asked Olivia, then 5 or 6 years old, to be the state’s ambassador. The family toured Oklahoma, presenting to civic organizations about premature birth.

After his tenure as president, Chilton continued his involvement with the Oklahoma Family Network. “Anything they ask, we’ll do it,” he says.

As for Olivia, her story has come full circle. Now 28, she works as a nurse in the same NICU where she spent her first weeks of life, side by side with Co and some of the same nurses who cared for her as a new baby.

The hospital has a large collage of photos of Olivia from the time of her birth until about age 18—a tribute to the former record-holder. (Her record was broken in 2015 by another baby named Olivia.) For years, families of premature babies have been taken to see the collage to show them what was possible.

“Now that Olivia is working there, they take them there without telling them anything else,” Chilton says. “They’re looking at the pictures … and then say, ‘Would you like to meet her? She’s your baby’s nurse.’”