My son, William Arthur Radix, was born at 34 1/2 weeks after my 30-pound husky jumped on my belly causing massive internal bleeding. I will never forget the day… it was December 2, 2023 in Georgetown, Guyana, South America. I went to the closest hospital in Kingstown and the ultrasound showed internal bleeding in my uterus and placenta and I was sent for an emergency C- Section. I did not know how bad the bleeding was and whether my baby or I would survive. I said goodbye to my mother in the operating theatre at 7pm and by 9:30 pm, William was born.

William was resuscitated at birth and was diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome. He was intubated and given an echocardiogram which appeared to show an enlarged heart. Born 6 weeks premature, the hospital couldn’t take care of him and transferred him to the NICU at Georgetown Public Hospital. He was immediately given medicine for his lung development and antibiotics when diagnosed with Congenital Bronchopneumonia and PPHN. They put my baby on a mechanical ventilator and kept him sedated. Over a short period, CT scans showed a perforated esophagus, he suffered from sepsis and severe thrombocytopenia and his low platelet count led to a transfusion of platelets. All of this was happening while I was still at the hospital where I gave birth. I couldn’t see him for days and once I did visit the NICU, I wasn’t allowed to touch him because he was too unstable.

More CT scans were done to try to understand what was happening inside William. His anatomy was abnormal and his health was deteriorating. He had respiratory failure, jaundice, and a lung infection. Plus he needed an endoscopy and to be fed full nutrition which they couldn’t do for a baby his size in Guyana. The hospital told me they had done all they could and I must find a way to get him out of Guyana to save his life. Luckily, William’s father was able to help save his son’s life. His father is in the United States Air Force and put him under his military insurance. 11 days after he was born, they sent a private jet converted into an air ambulance with a doctor, nurse and paramedic who kept William stable from Guyana to Puerto Rico and on to Miami and the NICU at Holtz Children’s Hospital.

More tests and diagnoses followed once in Miami. William was put on a ventilator in an incubator and given more antibiotics. He had reflux and there was a concern for liver disease. He was losing weight rapidly so they gave him a feeding tube. Genetics testing was done for dysmorphic features. But day after day he started to improve. We were staying at the Ronald McDonald House which meant we could see him as much as we wanted. Eventually he was weaned off the oxygen and able to breathe room air. He went from not eating to eating via a feeding tube to eating from a bottle. We are still addressing the genetics findings, but miraculously all of his other conditions resolved one by one. Finally on the 16th of January, William was released home.

ICU baby has been there for us to help me to navigate the NICU from the beginning and to just help me and my son know we are not alone. It has been a godsend. You have provided thoughtful care and support during our time in the NICU. I cannot thank you enough. William is the first and only successful NICU transfer ever from Guyana to an outside hospital. William is now 2 months old and doing so much better.

–Imarah Radix, NICU Mother, UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center’s Holtz Children’s Hospital