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Newborn Gets A Christmas Miracle Of Life
posted (December 28, 2015)
On our Christmas Eve Newscast, we told you about the child from Corozal Town who was born with the birth defect called "esophageal atresia". That's an incomplete esophagus which does not connect to the stomach. If left untreated, it's a fatal disease because the baby will be unable to eat, swallow, or ingest nutrients. Infants afflicted by the condition to either starve to death or die from pneumonia brought on by saliva that they can't swallow.

But baby Gismael will be spared from all of that because for his first Christmas, he was given the Gift of life.

On Boxing Day, our news team was at the KHMH when the child was transported from the KHMH to the PGIA to be flown out by private jet to the US.

Daniel Ortiz reports:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
Meet Baby Gismael Aban. He was born just a few days ago to first time parents who had been planning for his entry into their lives for months.

Shamir Aban - Father
"We are so happy. We love him so much."

But, the parents are worried because he was born with a birth defect which is ordinarily fatal.

Dr. Cecilio Eck - Head of Pediatrics, KHMH
"This kid did not have the connection between the mouth and the stomach - it's literally a blind pouch and because of that we know that this is not fixable in our country."

Daniel Ortiz
"How did you guys feel when you found out that that was the situation?"

Shamir Aban - Father
"We didn't wait for this all-time that's happening, but God knows why he does the things."

This cross that the family bears has since been significantly lightened. There is hope because emergency surgery in the US will save him. Barring any complications, he's going to have a normal life.

Daniel Ortiz
"What would have been the prognosis had the child not received this emergency care?"

Dr. Eck - Neonatologist, KHMH
"Starvation and death. Usually would happen is there is no connection between the mouth and the stomach. The saliva that you and I produce would actually get in the lung and caused recurrent pneumonias and that usually would kill the children. With the surgery - a normal healthy life."

And that's where World Pediatric Project came in. Immediately after they found out about this family's case, they made contact with doctors at the Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital. This family has been given a Christmas Miracle; he's now the million dollar baby who's fate is now in the hands of world-class doctors in Richmond, Virginia.

Milagro Garel - Rep., WPP Belize
"We are great partners of Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. This is the 9th case of this magnitude and Karl Heusner immediately referred the patient to us once the baby was referred here and we immediately sent the case to our partners at Virginia Commonwealth University, otherwise known as VCU and we couldn't believe how quickly they responded."

Camille Ferguson - Office Assistant, WPP Belize
"We thought that this case wouldn't be accepted, but then when they realize the urgency of it, they came forward and told us we need to get started on this. So knowing that this baby has a chance that really enlightened me, it was positive, so I was really happy to know that."

Candice Tillett - Project Mngr. WPP Belize
"My main concern was knowing that the condition was very urgent and right away I went to meet the parents at the bus and we took him directly to the registry to try to get emergency birth paper and then from there we went to the passport office trying to get the emergency passport while Camille was on the phone with the offices, just informing them that we were coming. Also working out embassy - getting the VISAS and trying to rush everything, having to do something that normally takes months - to do everything in one day it was very nerve racking."

Milagro Garel - Rep., WPP Belize
"This is definitely a million dollar case by all instances. I mean, we have a private jet waiting for this baby and we don't know how long the baby is going to be in the NCU and VCU. But cost doesn't matter. For us the WPP, it's about saving the baby and so we will just pull all resources that we can, all partners and we are going to make it happen."

And make it happen, they did. At around 12:30 on Boxing Day, Baby Gismael was prepped for transport from the KHMH to the airport by Ambulance, where he would be flown in a private jet sent just for his safe travel to the US.

Dr. Eck - Neonatologist, KHMH
"Luckily for this kid, they sent a private jet which is very unusual, but because of the gravity of the situation they understood that the baby needed to get care immediately."

Baby Gismael was born on December 18. We'll keep following his progress.





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