Social media did not exist when Peter was born in October 2000.  In order to keep the family up-to-date on Peter's medical condition, I started sending out a daily email.  I would spend my days in the NICU with Peter, come home in the evening (while Dad spent time with his boy at the hospital), and write an update.  This became my therapy and also a way to keep track of Peter's medical tests and conversations with doctors.  

 

As first-time parents, we were immersed in a world of medical care that we had never before experienced.  We were also scared, sad, angry, anxious, guilty (me), and extremely exhausted.  Despite it all, Peter pulled through and we are a stronger family because of those obstacles.

​

My daily email updates turned into "Pete's Diary," which became something of a cult reading. Hundreds of people checked their email every morning to read it with their morning coffee.  When it became necessary to develop a website for our speaking engagements, the domain www.petesdiary.com seemed to be the logical choice. After all, that is where our story starts!

​

We shared Pete's Diary for the first time on Peter's 18th birthday.  Starting on October 7, 2018, we posted the corresponding entry from 18 years earlier.  The NICU Diary is 102 days long, one entry for every day Peter was in the hospital.  You can read the Diary on our blog any time.  Please note that full names have been removed for privacy.