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Back in January, J.R. Smith and his wife, Jewel, announced some difficult news: Their baby girl, Dakota, had been born five months early. She weighed just one pound, and faced a long road ahead in the NICU. 

Thursday, however, the family got incredible news, as Dakota had her breathing tube removed, and is now able to breathe on her own. On the Smith’s website that they’ve been using to detail their experience, Jewel described the emotional moment she found out her baby girl was no longer intubated:

A few minutes later Dakotas primary nurse joined us in her room, she walked in with this huge smile on her face :) I looked at her and said “do you see our baby girl?”  I cannot believe my eyes this is UNREAL! after a few minutes of her nurse filling me in on her status she then asked me if I wanted to hold Kota Bear. I quickly responded with a no.

ME: Its a school night, I need to get back home to Demi and I know the kangaroo process will take too long.  

NURSE: No it won’t take long, she’s not intubated anymore, I can take her right out and you can hold her.

ME: Wait hold her... what do you mean hold her? don’t I have to take off my shirt, get the tubes taped on me and all that so she can lay on my breast?

NURSE: No, we are going to leave her swaddled and you can hold her with your hands.

ME: HUH? YOU ARE PLAYING RIGHT?

NURSE: No, I’m serious!!

When I tell y’all I hopped up so damn fast, took off my sweater that I had on and draped myself with a hospital robe in 2.5 seconds, my new nickname should have been Flash! I then plopped back into the recliner chair so hard I almost flew through the doors and out into the hallway.  I mean I was beyond excited to hold our 2lb 13oz miracle in the palm of my hands for the very first time.  What some mothers get to experience within the first 2 minutes of giving birth I had to wait 78 days but, what I will say is it was worth the wait because those very feelings, emotions and joy that took over my body trumps it all.  I kissed her little cheeks, smelled her neck, gazed into her eyes and just smiled at life...this life...her life that has now become our life! To God Be The Glory...I thank you.

This is just awesome. 

We often take sports far too seriously, and this is a good reminder that there are a lot of things far more important. Congratulations to the Smith family, and best wishes for Dakota’s continued recovery.