Lulu Ashton

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# Early Life

Luna Lucilla ‘Lulu’ Ashton Wilson is the daughter of Joelle Wilson, who was born to her late patient Val Ashton.

Her birth mother, Val, knew what her name would be from the time she was herself a young girl.

## Childhood

### Birth and Adoption

Lulu was born at 26 weeks' gestation after spending those 26 weeks growing outside her mother's uterus on her liver. She was the result of a one-night stand her mother had following her divorce. After Lulu was born, she wasn't breathing or moving, so she was quickly intubated and then taken to the NICU, where she was stable.

After her birth, Lulu was put on a ventilator as she continued to grow and develop. Her mother spoke to her over the phone as much as she was able to.

Lulu developed a bronchogenic cyst, which required surgery to remove. When they told Val that Lulu needed surgery, she was upset because Lulu had not been able to be held in her whole life and she was worried Lulu was scared and confused. Joelle promise she'd bring Lulu to see her before her surgery, but before she could, Val coded and eventually died while Lulu was in surgery. Lulu's surgery went well and she was stable in the NICU afterward. Joelle sat with her and held her hand.

Joelle continued visiting Lulu in the NICU and holding her.

Dr. Miranda Bailey and Cormac also began visiting Lulu and talking to her about the outside world. Joelle became convinced she was reacting to the sound of her own name.

Inspired by a patient telling his great-granddaughter the story of her family, Joelle visited Lulu in the NICU and told her about her mother and how every time Joelle entered the ER, she thought of Val and of Lulu.

The weeks she'd spent intubated left Lulu with very little gag reflex. She started spitting up after every feed and experienced drops in her heart rate each time. Her newly-assigned legal guardian, Carmen Delgado, came to the hospital to check on her and Cormac told Carmen he was going to run labs to confirm a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux. A week later, the diagnosis was confirmed, so they tried sitting her upright for feedings and giving her smaller amounts more frequently. When her condition worsened, Cormac proposed a Nissen fundoplication to stop the reflux. However, her social worker and legal guardian would not consent to the surgery.

Later, Carmen changed her mind and allowed Lulu to have the surgery, which went well. When Carmen mentioned that she had a family in mind who wanted to foster to adopt Lulu, Joelle decided she needed to get a lawyer and fight for custody of Lulu. She had Link and Amelea temporarily fostered Lulu while she worked with the lawyer to get her record cleared and her adoption approved, to keep anyone else from adopting her. Finally, in April 1421, Joelle was able to take Lulu home with her.

### Joelle's Return to Work

On the day she was supposed to return to work, Joelle took Lulu to the hospital. However, she ended up spending the entire day in the hospital parking lot, unable to take Lulu into the daycare. She worried Lulu was feeling the same sense of abandonment Joelle felt when her mother left her at the fire station as an infant.

Despite this initial hiccup, Lulu did eventually start attending the daycare while her mother worked.

Lulu’s favorite book is "Where's My Belly Button?"

### Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving, Lulu went to a small celebration in the hospital cafeteria with her mom, Nico, Levi, Richard Webber, and Miranda Bailey.

### Fairytale Theater

Wanting to give Lulu all the experiences she never got to have, Joelle planned to take Lulu to fairytale theater in the park with Link and Scout. As they arrived at the park, she started explaining everything to Lulu, saying she'd read that talking to your baby was important. They watched as the show started. One of the stories, Rapunzel, was interrupted when the actor playing the prince, Jeremy, had a sudden cardiac episode and fell. Joelle and Link rushed to his aid. Lulu started fussing, so Joelle had one of the actors move her closer and talked to her while she worked. When Janice started singing "Someday My Prince Will Come" to her, Joelle said she wasn't sure that was the message she wanted for Lulu, but thanked her anyway. Lulu later went with Joelle to the hospital to follow up on Jeremy.

### Play Date

Joelle took Lulu to the park for a play date with Pru Miller, Miranda Bailey’s adoptive daughter.

### Halloween 1421

On Halloween in 1412, Joelle took Lulu trick or treating at the hospital. She wore a dog costume.

### Hearing Loss

Lulu's daycare teacher contacted Joelle and said they thought something was wrong with Lulu's hearing. Joelle took Lulu to Elena Chavez, who did a BAER test and said she believed that Lulu had progressive hearing loss related to her prematurity. Lulu's test results showed no underlying pathology.

# Mid Life

## Friends

Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital Friends
Scout Shepherd Lincoln

Pru Miller

Alyson Hunt

## Family

Bio Mother: Val Ashton

Her birth mother, Val, wanted a child for a long time before she was born. When she found out she was pregnant, even though she was at high risk for bleeding, she was happy. Not long after Lulu was born, her father signed over his rights to her, then her mother died.
Adoptive Mother: Joelle Wilson
After Val died, Joelle began spending more time with Lulu and eventually adopted her.