Taylor and Drew Deras, are married nurses who work in the NICU at Methodist Women’s Hospital in Omaha, NE. In May 2021, a baby girl named Ella was born prematurely at 23 weeks at their hospital. Taylor cared for Ella in the NICU for 8 months as she faced serious health challenges.
In December 2021, Ella became a ward of the state and the Derases decided to become her foster parents. They cared for her after she was discharged.
On November 18, 2022, National Adoption Day, the couple officially adopted Ella. Today, Ella is thriving, with her well-being improving through weekly speech therapies and additional treatments.
“I loved her as my patient, and then once we became foster parents, I loved her as my own child,” Taylor commented. “Now, she’s walking and talking and meeting developmental milestones that a 2-year-old would do. And she’ll start preschool in the fall.”