Cam and Meghan Parker honor their son, Titus.
Written by Kate Slate, University Development
In January 2024, Cam and Meghan Parker were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child. Several weeks before the due date, Meghan visited UNC Health in Chapel Hill for a routine blood pressure check. An hour and some change away in Clayton, Cam was sitting in a coffee shop, tending to work needs on an otherwise normal Monday. The only appointment he didn’t attend throughout Meghan’s pregnancy was the day her blood pressure would spike, sending her into labor, and the couple, into a frenzy.
Twenty-seven weeks and five days into her pregnancy, Meghan gave birth to a little boy, Titus. Between trying to lower Meghan’s blood pressure with magnesium and delivering a premature baby, the couple was navigating uncharted territory. Their prognosis only worsened when Titus was diagnosed with a disease unfamiliar to the Parkers, and to many other families in the NICU: necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
NEC is a bowel disease that leads to inflammation in the intestines, killing off tissue and making it difficult for newborns to process food. The disease, most common in premature babies, can also create holes in the intestines, as was the case for Titus. This perforation required surgeons to place a Penrose drain – a tube that helps remove stool and other intestinal fluids from the stomach. The disease would take Titus’ life only 28 days after his birth.
Titus being treated in the NICU at UNC Health (left). Meghan and Cam Parker spending time with their son (right).
Cam and Meghan remain grateful for the month they got to spend with Titus, but they were at a loss for the pain they had to reckon with following his death.
“Kids aren’t supposed to die before their parents,” said Cam. “How do we let his legacy live on?”
In the days following Titus’ funeral, Cam wondered how he and Meghan could move forward and protect other families from enduring the same tragedy. They decided to start a non-profit, the Titus Strong Foundation. The foundation initially focused on research alone. Cam and Meghan started by reaching out to several doctors who specialized in NEC. The only one to reply was Dr. Misty Good, division chief of neonatal-perinatal medicine at UNC Health. The foundation now helps fund Good’s namesake lab at Carolina, where she and her dedicated team work to combat the life-shattering illness.
The Good Lab
Cam and Meghan’s introduction to NEC was reminiscent of Good’s. As a pediatric resident some years earlier, she thought she was taking care of a seemingly fine baby when things took a turn.
“I went home for the day, and when I came back there was a different baby in the bed space,” said Good. “I asked what happened and was told the baby died from NEC overnight.”
She shared the frustrations Cam and Meghan felt in receiving Titus’ diagnosis: The disease came on rapidly, and no one had answers as to why. “As a physician, I find that unacceptable,” said Good.
The Good Lab works to develop new therapeutic and preventative strategies for NEC in addition to identifying a biomarker for the disease. The lab achieves this through two means: in vivo testing on mice and the NEC Biorepository Good launched in 2017. Her team, and nine other centers across the country, collect bio samples from NICU babies – such as blood, urine and breast milk – that help inform their search for a NEC biomarker.
Moving forward
Cam and Meghan have used their tragedy to help other families facing a NEC diagnosis. The foundation created an informational sheet for families at UNC Health which includes questions to ask physicians, ways to support a baby, and ways the Titus Strong Foundation can provide support. Whether it’s offering informational sheets or donating care baskets filled with gift cards for gas and food, Cam and Meghan hope to provide families with the guidance they once needed.
Now two years later, Cam and Meghan have a healthy 8-month-old son, Judah. Judah was born at UNC Medical Center where his older brother spent the first and only few weeks of his life. A heart condition brought Judah to the NICU, forcing Cam and Meghan to mend a relationship with an otherwise harrowing place.
“Although we had to go back to such a traumatic place, I see it as a blessing,” said Cam. “I had to conquer it. I was thrown into it, and now we’re able to get in there as a foundation.”
Through a combined effort, the Titus Strong Foundation alongside Dr. Misty Good and her team are working hard to “save babies from NEC,” as the Good Lab’s motto goes.
The Titus Strong Foundation’s significant support of the Good Lab is helping to improve outcomes for babies diagnosed with NEC. The foundation has gifted practical lab needs – such as a $15,000 freezer and a research coordinator’s salary – and has helped Dr. Good’s research persist to save babies from NEC.
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