Born 15 weeks early with complex medical needs, Eliana Gaul of Peosta, Iowa, has shown remarkable strength throughout a decade of care. Now 10, she is thriving with support from specialists at UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Story and videography: UI Health Care Marketing and Communications
Photography: Reagan Jensen and Liz Martin
Published: Sept. 28, 2026
Roger and Ashley Gaul were planning an afternoon of fun following a doctor’s appointment and ultrasound. But their joy quickly turned to heartache: Prenatal tests indicated their baby, Eliana, would be born with spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal column and membranes around the spinal cord don’t close completely during the first month of pregnancy.
“We went in for a typical 20-week ultrasound and we had a gender reveal party scheduled for right after that,” Roger says, noting their future plans changed when they were told the prenatal test showed multiple abnormalities.
“They give you this worst-case scenario,” he says. “We were so looking forward to being parents, and now it looked like we were going to lose our child. Our world just got shaken.”
Roger and Ashley were referred to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where they say Andrea Reasoner, MD, a pediatrician at the Center for Disabilities and Development, gave them hope for Eliana’s future.
“Your child is going to be happy,” Reasoner told them. “Your child is going to live a good life.”
“I owe her everything,” Roger says. “It was like a whole bunch of weight was lifted off our shoulders. She was sent straight from heaven.”
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Prenatal surgery scheduled in Ohio
Roger and Ashley traveled to a hospital in Ohio that specialized in intrauterine surgery for spina bifida. The procedure would close Eliana’s spine while she was still in the womb and lessen some of the negative effects of her condition.
Eliana arrived early, however, and was born on the day of the scheduled procedure. She was 15 weeks premature and weighed just over 1 pound.
“One of the chaplains came in,” Ashley says, adding that the couple were repeatedly given the option of comfort care because Eliana had a low chance of survival. “It was unreal. Her torso was the size of a credit card. Just this beautiful little miracle.”
Eliana’s prognosis remained uncertain for a few weeks after her surgery, but she continued to show strength. She developed pneumonia but her two-pound body fought it off.
“We know we’re getting the best care here. They treat you like family. The staff is the best in the world.”
Returning home to Iowa for care
When their daughter was 16 weeks old, the couple brought Eliana home to Iowa, transferring her care to Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Just six days after arriving, Eliana underwent laser eye surgery to treat her retinopathy of prematurity, a disease in which the retinal blood vessels of a premature infant do not develop normally. Left untreated, severe cases can cause permanent vision loss or blindness.
“We knew the care down here would be second to none,” Roger says. “I fully credit the team for saving Eliana from going blind.”
Eliana Gaul and her siblings hang out in the Iowa Hawkeyes locker room during Kids Day at Kinnick.
Additional procedures at Stead Family Children’s Hospital
Eliana spent one month in the hospital before going home on oxygen. In the years that followed, she underwent casting to correct clubfeet, had kidney stones removed, and received a shunt to relieve fluid buildup in her brain.
Eliana was later diagnosed with epilepsy and underwent tests and medication changes before having a brain stimulator placed to help control drug-resistant seizures. Last year, she underwent surgery to correct hip dysplasia, in which the hip joint bones do not fit together correctly. She wore a cast around her waist and one leg for six weeks, with the surgery considered a success.
This summer, she underwent spinal fusion surgery to treat scoliosis — an abnormal curvature of the spine. She is recovering well, Roger says, citing Eliana’s strength and resilience.
Eliana Gaul gives Herky a high-five during Kids Day at Kinnick in August 2026.
‘Light of the world’
Now 10, the Peosta, Iowa, girl is a fourth grader who loves school and all animals. She enjoys piggyback rides, giving hugs, and making new friends.
“She’s pretty independent at home,” Ashley says. “She’s a spitfire, she’s sweet. She’s just the light of the world. We are blessed that our family and community is so very warm and supportive of Eliana.”
“There just isn’t enough luck for Eliana to overcome the odds,” Roger says. “She is here because of God’s miracles and his love for us.”
Eliana continues to see seven specialists at Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
“They’re just so genuine,” Ashley says. “They get to your level, and they know how to talk to you, so you understand the information they’re trying to give to you, and they get down to Eliana’s level, too.”
“We’re absolutely happy with her health care team,” Roger adds. “We know we’re getting the best care here. They treat you like family. The staff is the best in the world.”
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