Landon K.

Landon Jean Kukla entered the world on May 8, 2023, at 5:12 AM—healthy, full-term, weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long, he enjoyed his first hour earth side in the arms of his parents. Then everything changed.

Landon began showing signs of respiratory distress. Thanks to the quick instincts of his aunt, an 11-year NICU nurse, and the staff at Jupiter Medical Center he was whisked away to Jupiter Medical Center’s NICU where he was diagnosed with PPHN - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn—a rare condition where a newborn’s circulatory system doesn’t adapt to breathing outside the womb. The decision was made to airlift him to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami so that he could receive life-saving elevated medical support.

Shortly after arriving at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Landon was placed on ECMO, a heart-lung bypass machine that oxygenated his blood and allowed his heart and lungs to rest. For three long days, that machine kept our son alive.

With ECMO comes hope, but also risk. Landon suffered a significant stroke—a potential “side effect” of ECMO. But baby brains are incredible. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s superpower during infancy as their brains are being wired at a rapid rate, and now we are watching it work in real-time.

The miracle of Landon’s survival was only the beginning. The road since has demanded not just strength from him, but from our entire family. We spent five weeks in the hospital, commuting back and forth while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for our two older sons—then ages 5 and 7—who suddenly found themselves without their parents at home, relying on grandparents and friends for rides to school and overnight care.

Today, the team effort continues as we watch Landon defy the odds. He receives hours of therapy every week to support his recovery—learning to drink, eat, walk, and now focusing on talking and regaining strength and function in his right arm and hand, which were most affected by the stroke.

But these therapies aren’t covered by insurance. Most are cutting-edge, intensive, and highly specialized. Many of the best providers don’t accept insurance at all. We travel across Florida (and beyond) to give Landon every chance to capitalize on the critical neuroplasticity window of early childhood.

Landon’s big brothers attend therapy sessions, cheer him on, and show him what persistence looks like. At a recent five-day intensive therapy conference, the providers dubbed us “Team Landon”—a name we wear proudly, because this journey is nothing short of a full-family effort.

We’ve come so far. But there’s more healing to be done—and more potential to be unlocked. From the NICU to now, Landon has shown us what true strength looks like.