A story that could have totally had a tragic ending recently surprised the world with a little plot twist.
In the early morning of March 16, it was clear that mother and father, Emma and Stuart Labuschagne, may never see their little boy, Michael, ever open his eyes again. At the time, he had suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital.
He fell into a 5-day coma after that, and doctors predicted he would never come out of it.
But he defied those expectations.
When the incident began, poor Michael began gasping for air. His heart stopped. Paramedics did everything they could to save him but at that point, Emma thought he was a goner.
Talk about a parent’s worst nightmare. No mother or father should ever have to go through such a thing.
“At 14 weeks and three days old he went to bed like any other baby,” Michael’s mother said. “But at 5am he had suffered heart failure. Words cannot begin to describe the pain we felt in that moment.
“We watched our baby breathless, gasping for air while his heart stopped and paramedics worked to save his life.
“I am so so blessed to be here telling you that he survived,” she continued.
Only seven percent of patients survive a cardiac arrest and Michael was miraculously one of them. He did, however, slip into a coma that lasted five days. Doctors then proceeded to believe that he would not make it out of that.
Lo and behold, he did. After those five days, on March 21, his eyes opened and he smiled at his father for what could potentially be the most heart-warming moment in history!
Family of sick baby who suffered a cardiac arrest in his sleep are trying to raise £120,000: Michael Labuschagne, now 10 months, of Bristol, was rushed to hospital at 14 weeks old. Doctors discovered he had a rare heart tumour which can only be operated… https://t.co/vbUsqLoHR3 pic.twitter.com/InaNrmdZs3
— RushReads (@RushReads) October 21, 2019
When Michael came back, doctors scanned his brain for damage. While they found none, they warned his parents that it could be a possibility.
So, what on earth caused this newborn baby to have a cardiac arrest? It turned out to be a very rare tumor known as cardiac fibroma.
While most cardiac tumors in children tend to be benign, they can still cause problems. This is because the heart still plays such an important role in their bodies.
Afterwards, Michael was fitted with a pacemaker which will help control the rhythm of his heart. Sure, it is not ideal, but it is good to take any action to avoid this happening again.
“It does hold him back. It’s as big as the size of the palm of my hand and it has sharp edges,” Emma said.
“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.”
Now, his parents are working to raise enough money to fly him to Boston Children’s Hospital for their world-class surgeons. It is their hope that they can reset Michael’s tumor. The GoFundMe page can be found here.
“They are confident that they can drastically improve, or even cure, his condition by resecting the tumor,” Emma continued. “They want to operate within six months as his heart will be a good size. The fundraiser is doing really well so far, but it’s still quite early days.”
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