Triplet Henry White Returns Home to Grand Junction After 670 Days in Hospital

Grand Junction, CO – Triplet Henry Harold White arrived home to Grand Junction on Thursday, Sept. 3, marking the end of a 670-day journey across four different hospitals in three states. Born at just 1 pound, 5 ounces, Henry's return to his Grand Junction home means he is finally with his brothers, Peter and Benjamin, for the first time.

His parents, Rebecca and Daniel White, both 28 and 29, expressed immense gratitude for bringing all three boys home with healthy futures. However, they are now turning to the community for assistance with a "laundry list of expenses" accumulated over nearly two years of displacement and intensive medical care.

Rebecca and Daniel, Grand Valley natives, learned in 2024 they were expecting triplets, a rare occurrence in the region's recent history. Rebecca had reconciled with the fact that a relative's past triplet birth resulted in only two surviving, and she was determined to avoid a similar outcome for her own family.

By about 20 weeks’ gestation, Rebecca developed severe gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, making it difficult to move her hands. Doctors at Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital discovered the prognosis stemmed from Henry having an insufficient placenta. Rebecca’s medical team suggested hospitalization and a C-section, but Henry was not yet viable. Rebecca rejected this, stating she knew Peter and Benjamin would need Henry, and they fought for all three.

By 25 weeks’ gestation, Henry’s placenta had failed to the point where his blood flow reversed, leading to Rebecca’s hospitalization. At week 29, doctors informed her an emergency C-section was necessary for Henry's survival.

According to the parents, delivering Peter and Benjamin was relatively smooth, though both required stays of 50 and 70 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), respectively. The two oldest were able to return home with low-flow oxygen support. However, Henry's care escalated quickly and severely late on the third night after his birth, Daniel White said. His oxygen requirements soared, he couldn’t be fed, and his stomach became very bloated. Rebecca White described it as "two very different experiences" watching two healthy babies and one fighting for life.

Given that St. Mary’s offers the only NICU on the Western Slope but lacked a pediatric surgeon, Henry needed transfer to a higher-acuity hospital. As Daniel prepared for Henry’s first of four fixed-wing jet rides (Life Flights), a days-long snowstorm across the Rocky Mountains prevented travel to the Children’s Hospital of Colorado in Denver. The only option was a children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, where Daniel and Henry went. Rebecca spent the first several weeks postpartum alone with two babies in the Grand Junction NICU.

Rebecca White stated that Henry is alive today because Daniel went to Utah. She noted that at Utah Primary Children’s Hospital, a teaching hospital with a new doctor every shift, Daniel and two primary nurses provided the critical continuity of care. After four relatively smooth weeks, Henry’s bowels improved without surgery. However, he then contracted a severe staph infection. Between the infection and constant pressure from a life-sustaining ventilator, Henry developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a respiratory condition with potential for severe, lifelong complications.

During this period, the parents took shifts in Utah with Henry while the other stayed in Grand Junction with Peter and Benjamin, who were considered too high-risk to bring to a hospital during cold and flu season. Daniel White said they tried to avoid intensive surgical intervention, but by March 2025, four months after delivery, Henry required a tracheotomy. By April 10, Henry had recovered enough to transfer to the Denver Children’s Hospital.

Staff at the Denver hospital were confident Henry would be home by July. However, on Mother’s Day, he had to be sedated and paralyzed for another two weeks. Rebecca White said Henry was getting infections every single week and experienced severe desaturation episodes. She felt the medical team "wasn't listening," recounting a time they were told, "babies Henry’s age just cough for attention."

Now 26 pounds, Henry is finally home. Rebecca and Daniel White also hope their story will inspire other parents like them and illustrate the importance of perseverance and advocacy. Rebecca White emphasized, "Mothers are more than just breast milk. You really have the opportunity to save your own child’s life by paying attention, advocating and speaking up when things aren’t right." She added that Henry's story "has changed a lot of other babies’ lives just like him." Daniel White stated their mindset has always been to advocate for all three boys, believing the best thing they could do for Peter and Benjamin was to give them their brother as they grow older.