Though doctors told his parents Michael would not wake up from his coma, he woke up smiling. Now, he needs to get a life-saving surgery.
Little Michael, now 10 months old, was rushed to the hospital when he was only 14 weeks old after suffering a cardiac arrest earlier this year in March. Doctors informed his parents, Stuart and Emma Labuschagne, that their baby boy may never wake up from the coma he was placed in. However, after remaining in a coma for five days, the little one defied his doctors and miraculously woke up, The Daily Mail reports. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes? Flash the cutest toothless grin at his father.
Baby Boy Defies Doctors By Waking From 5-Day Coma And Smiling At Father https://t.co/tXBeOSOr7m pic.twitter.com/7sgKhIHNnt
— Amy ღ ☢ ★★★ (@amy_baker22) October 25, 2019
Talking about the experience, mother-of-three Emma shared, "At 14 weeks and three days old, he went to bed like any other baby. But at 5 am he had suffered heart failure. Words cannot begin to describe the pain we felt [during] that moment. We watched our baby breathless, gasping for air while his heart stopped and paramedics worked to save his life. [At] that moment I did not think Michael would make it through. Yet I am so, so blessed to be here telling you that he survived. He survived an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest which only seven percent [of] patients do."
Michael is definitely a miracle baby. However, his medical troubles do not end there. Doctors revealed shortly after the ordeal that their son had a cardiac tumor, which can be life-threatening even if benign. The 10-month-old has a palm-sized cardiac fibroma which is attached to the septum within the left chamber of his heart. This can interfere with the way the heart functions, blocking blood flow to important organs, leading to an abnormal rhythm which could prove fatal.
Baby boy defies doctors by WAKING from a five-day coma and smiling at his dad https://t.co/ms09YncWTf
— Jessica Greene (@sunshinewolf87) October 24, 2019
Though Michael was fitted with a pacemaker as well as a defibrillator, this is only a temporary solution until he is able to get the surgical procedure to remove the tumor. Additionally, this solution has sadly caused physical development delay and is presently at its maximum threshold. This means the temporary solution is not working as efficiently as possible. Emma stated, "It does hold him back. It's as big as the size of the palm of my hand and it has sharp edges. Putting that inside a baby is quite uncomfortable for them. But he is amazing, you wouldn't know looking at him that he is fighting this. He's a lovely little baby - it's hard to believe he's going through what he is. He's a miracle." Therefore, the parents have been referred to surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital, who have quoted $147,000 for the surgery. In order to afford this exorbitant procedure, the Labuschagnes have created a GoFundMe fundraiser. If you would like to make a donation, you can visit their fundraising page here. Hopefully, this little miracle baby will be able to get the life-saving procedure he needs as soon as possible.
#Health Baby Boy Defies Doctors By Waking From 5-Day Coma And Smiling At Father https://t.co/Nb6CWpgEgM pic.twitter.com/GWgZy3iPvt
— FMG Newz (@FMGNewz) October 25, 2019