A Year-End Review: Tying Up Some of the Loose Ends From ’84 : At Home at Last

Dustin Kemp is 2, cutting teeth and crabby--and his parents, Kim and Jim Kemp of Rossmoor in Orange County, are delighted.

Dustin, born Dec. 17, 1982, spent the first 19 months of his life in hospitals and underwent 12 surgeries for respiratory and intestinal problems resulting from his birth three months prematurely. He weighed 1 pound 17 ounces at birth and was given only a 50-50 chance of survival.

He made little progress at the hospital where he was born, so the Kemps had Dustin transferred to Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, where, according to his mother, he improved in the first three hours. His ready smile and buoyant personality soon made him a favorite of the staff. By late last July he was ready to go home, albeit maintained by sophisticated medical equipment and round-the-clock nursing care. He was the subject of a View story in September.

Although he still must rely on mechanical help, Dustin has flourished at home, having gained more than 8 pounds. Just before Christmas he and his mother went back to Childrens Hospital--just for a visit.

“I dressed him all up,” Kim Kemp said, “and we took cookies and went back to see our friends there.”

They will make the 70-mile round trip that the Kemps traveled daily during all the months their baby was hospitalized again Wednesday when Dustin has a routine checkup.