Meeker

Hailee Hernandez

Meeker couple is thankful for their daughter, even as health and developmental issues make her life, and theirs, a daily challenge

Their daughter has had four surgeries. The first one when she was eight days old.
Then, when she was 21 days old, Hailee Hernandez had open heart surgery. About a month and a half later, she had another surgery to put a feeding tube in. For a year and a half, she threw up two dozen times a day. Because of a stomach reflex problem, she couldn’t keep food down.
“As soon as the food would go down into her tummy, it would come right back up,” said Hailee’s mom, Ruby Lopez.
Yet, during this Thanksgiving week, despite their daughter’s health problems, who was born with a heart defect, Ruby and her husband, Chris Hernandez, count their blessings.
“As a family, I guess you could say we’ve been through a lot,” said Chris, who works for Berry Bros. General Contractors. “It’s been hard. It’s been stressful. We would average two or three hours a sleep a night, because we would check on her to make sure she was breathing. It’s just the hand God dealt us. But we’re happy with that.”
Their daughter’s full name is Hailee Nevaeh Hernandez. Her middle name is heaven spelled backward.
“We decided to do that just with what she’s been through, and God,” Chris said.
Hailee, who will be 3 in March, is doing markedly better. For that, Ruby and Chris are grateful.
“She’s doing great,” Ruby said. “She’s walking around. She’s trying to run. She’s off the feeding tube.”
Three months ago, the feeding tube was removed.
“We used to have to massage her gums and her cheeks, to get her used to having food in her mouth,” Ruby said.
Hailee will start preschool in January. Because of her health problems, she is behind other children her age developmentally. But she is catching up.
“She is considered disabled, but they (the doctors) say she’s doing great,” Ruby said. “She’s walking, and her speech is getting better.”
Thanks to financial help from Horizons Specialized Services, Hailee has been receiving occupational and speech therapy, which has accelerated her development.
Horizons, a non-profit organization started in 1975, has a program called family support service, which provides financial assistance for families with children who are developmentally disabled or delayed.
There are different funding levels available, depending on the family’s needs.
“(Hailee) has been on the family support plan, which helps families with children with extra needs, because they have extra financial needs,” said Pearl Ellsworth, who recently retired as Horizons’ service coordinator and family services consultant for Rio Blanco County after 29 years. “Hailee has had a lot of needs, and we were able to help with some of those expenses.”
Hailee was about 3 months old when Ruby and Chris moved to Meeker from San Antonio.
“She was really small (when she moved to Meeker),” Ellsworth said of Hailee. “She has been with us practically three years. She was very medically fragile, for some time. Even now, but she’s not as medically fragile as she was.”
“She doesn’t have much of an immune system,” Chris said. “She gets sick real easy.”
Ellsworth said there are 85 families, including eight in Rio Blanco County, participating in the family support program in the five northwest Colorado counties served by Horizons, which is based in Steamboat Springs.
She said the program fills an important role in the communities it serves.
“Just knowing that somebody is there is a big help for the families,” Ellsworth said. “To know they are not in it alone and there are people who care and want to help you.”
The financial help offered by Horizons can come in very practical ways.
“We can give them money to help pay medical bills, or it can help with co-pays, or pay for adaptive equipment, or pay their travel to the doctor, because it is a fact of life in northwest Colorado you will have to travel to a doctor, or even pay to fix a vehicle so they can get to a doctor,” Ellsworth said. “We try to tailor it to their specific needs, because each family is different.
“It helps, but it doesn’t take care of everything,” Ellsworth said. “We also try to help find other funding sources, so we can make (the money) stretch. It’s important to know there are other avenues of monies out there to access for these families.”
Hailee can remain on the family support program until she reaches the age of 5.
“They can be on (the program) until the child is 5,” Ellsworth said. “They have to have an IQ of 70 or below to stay on it after the age of 5. Then they can stay on it as long as they are in the home.”
However long Hailee benefits from the family support program, her parents are appreciative of the support.
“I just know they helped my daughter out,” Ruby said.
Added Chris, “It’s nice to know there are organizations out there like Horizons.”
The little girl who used to not be able to keep food down, now has a hearty appetite.
“Her favorite food is Chinese,” Chris said. “She could eat that all day.”
When she was younger, Hailee used to move herself around by scooting on the floor. Now, with the help of braces that support her ankles, she’s walking and even running.
“She is something else,” Ruby said. “You would have never thought (she had been sick).”
Ruby and Chris have endured their share of heartache, not just with Hailee. They had a son who was stillborn in March 2005, two weeks before Ruby’s due date. Four months later, Ruby became pregnant again. But because of complications during Hailee’s delivery, Ruby will not be able to have more children.
Still, they are grateful for their daughter, whose health is improving, and for a place where they feel at home.
“We love Meeker,” Chris said. “It’s a good place to raise a family.”
Added Ruby, “There could be a lot worse things. We’re very thankful. She’s our little miracle. We’re lucky to have her.”

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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