Baby Who Was Born Twice After Miracle Surgery is About to Celebrate His First Birthday

A miracle baby born twice is about to celebrate his first birthday. Little Cassian Joubert’s life is truly a wonder. He had a rare chance of survival before his final birth, and his parents are so glad he’s here.

A Scary Pregnancy Turns Into Two Miracle Births

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Weeks into Cassian’s mom’s pregnancy with him, Keishera and her husband, Greg, learned that he had a rare anomaly called Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome (CHAOS), which affects his lungs and blocks his airways. Most children with the diagnosis pass away before birth.

“When he was first diagnosed, we did what every parent would do — cry and pray,” Keishera said. “The scientific literature on CHAOS was bleak. ‘Devastatingly fatal,' they said, but there were a few survivors. It offered a glimmer of hope, but still we mentally prepared ourselves for the worst.”  

Keishera’s doctor attempted an in-utero surgery to pierce the blockage with a laser scope, but the attempt failed. However, he didn’t give up on Cassian. He proposed a new procedure where Cassian would be partially delivered by C-section at 25 weeks. While his head and neck were kept outside his mom’s abdomen, the rest of his body stayed inside, connected to her placenta.

When One Attempt Fails, Another Succeeds

The doctor was able to place a catheter inside his neck, which allowed the transfer of fluid out of his lungs, where it stayed until his final birth.

Keishera said, “The surgeons took a picture of Cassian, and it was beautifully profound to see the baby I was carrying. My son was partially born into the world and felt air on his face! They returned him to the womb, and I remained in the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy.”

Six weeks later, Keishera’s water broke, and Cassian was delivered via C-section and had a tracheostomy procedure while still attached to the placenta. From there, he stayed in the NICU for his first four months of life before heading home.

Baby Born Twice Celebrates Two Birthdays

The parents will celebrate his “first birthday” when he had the successful surgery and, of course, his second birthday–when he completely came out of the womb–when that comes around.

Cassian still uses a ventilator and feeding tube and will require two more surgeries. Despite that, he is a happy baby, and his life is a miracle. His parents are very grateful to his doctor and staff, who have helped him thrive.

It is incredible that Cassian’s life was saved before his final birth. Hopefully, other babies who are diagnosed with CHAOS can also be saved through the same innovative surgery.

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WATCH: Baby Who Was Born Twice After Miracle Surgery is About to Celebrate His First Birthday

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h/t: People

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Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.