BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — After spending 572 days in the hospital, Mikey Barone and his family have been loving all being under the same roof. Mikey went home from the hospital ten-days ago as nurses cheered him on at Oishei Children's Hospital-- watch video here.
Mikey was born weighing just over a pound in August 2017. He needs constant medical attention to keep his ventilator running and lungs pumping. He has been ready to leave the hospital for a few months but couldn't because there was not enough home nurses to take care of him.
But with the help of word of mouth and 7 Eyewitness New Coverage on this issue, Mikey's parents were able to hire the right amount of nurses to bring their boy home.
"We were in the hospital and we were still a family," Kristine and Mike Barone, Mikey's parents said. "But now it is just us and now it is more fun rather than more medical."
But the Barone's are realizing the shortage of home nurses continues. Many nurses juggle several families and there's no backup plan when a nurse cannot make a shift.
"We wish we had a magic wand to have a nurse everywhere and have a kid that they take care of... it's tough," the Barones say.
The Barones say Mikey is as happy as ever and thankful for the support they have. They are currently living with Mike's parents in Amherst and hope to move back to their West Seneca home soon.
"As much as it has been a little bit of a scary experience it has been a good experience," the Barones say. "I think he feels the love from everybody."
The Barone family hopes by this time next year Mikey will be able to breathe without the ventilator. Sweet Buffalo has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family with medical expenses.
