Tiny Madelyn O’Grady, who weighed less than three pounds at birth, is so tiny her dad, Michael, can slide his wedding ring up to her elbow.

Because of the baby’s premature arrival on Feb. 27, family and friends are hustling to find money to pay for an unexpected plane ride to Portland and other expenses insurance won’t cover. They opened a bank account and are planning a benefit.

Madelyn’s parents, Michael and Monique O’Grady, were shocked when Monique went into labor almost three months early. During the 13-hour birth at St. Anthony Hospital, Monique’s doctor called in a neonatal unit – the Legacy Emanuel Children’s Transport Team – to escort the fragile infant to Portland.

Transport team members had to cool their heels for a while – they got to Pendleton three hours before Madelyn’s birth. Eventually, Madelyn appeared, weighing in at just 2 pounds and 14 ounces and tenaciously clinging to life.

“We knew right away that she was a fighter,” Michael said. “Her heart never skipped a beat even through a very difficult labor.”

However, Madelyn wasn’t breathing at birth. Seconds counted in the baby’s survival chances and the parents had to watch from the sidelines.

“We felt helpless,” stated Monique, a model who is seen in Pendleton Whiskey posters and ads. “I didn’t really even get a chance to see her and she wasn’t breathing on her own. It was a frightening experience and there was nothing we could do. We were hopeful because we knew she was in good hands.”

Michael’s brother, Patrick, marveled as he watched the switchover of Madelyn to the transport team, likening it to a smooth handoff to a quarterback who then uses surgical precision to get the football to the goal line.

“When the team got Madelyn, it was amazing,” Patrick said.

About an hour later, the plane took off with the tiny baby inside. Michael and Monique followed the next day. They checked into the Ronald McDonald House, six minutes away from their daughter’s hospital room.

The couple’s ritual of feeding and caring for Madelyn begins every morning at 8 a.m.

“We change her diapers, talk to her and hold her when we are allowed,” Michael said. “Simple tasks such as changing a diaper are a team effort – like a dance really, between us.

After a few days, Madelyn was able to breathe on her own. She now weighs 3 pounds, 7 ounces and is steadily gaining.

Michael said he and Monique have gotten into a sort of rhythm and draw comfort from staff and other parents they’ve met at the Ronald McDonald House.

“We instantly found an accepting, kind and supportive family atmosphere that we desperately needed,” Michael said.

Patrick O’Grady said insurance won’t nearly pay the bills resulting from Madelyn’s premature birth.

“The Life Flight was $30,000 – that’s not covered,” he said. “(Monique) is not going to be able to work for several months.”

Monique is known to many as one of the Pendleton Whiskey Girls and appears in western calendars and on the cover of a coffee table book called “Cowgirl in Heaven,” a book of photography by David Stoecklein. Monique also runs a lawn care business.

Patrick invited the public to a fundraiser April 5 at the Slickfork Saloon with a live band, hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. A silent auction will start at 6:30 p.m. and a live auction will start at 7:30.

Auction items include a Jim Lavadour print; photographs by David Stoecklein, who donated books, calendars and prints; hay; a helicopter ride; toys; games; and a Roundup Athletic Club package and many others.

Those who can’t attend but wish to help may bring donations to the Michael and Monique O’Grady Benefit Fund at Banner Bank.