Miracles truly do happen, writes Cape {town} Etc’s, Leigh-Ann Londt. Doctors predicted Curtis Means to have a 1% chance of survival when he was born 132 days early, weighing 420g in Birmingham, Alabama, last year.
Curtis is now 16 months old and healthy. Unfortunately, his twin sister C’Asya passed away the day they were born, reports LADBible. Curtis was taken off a ventilator after three months and was discharged in April this year, after being in the hospital for being 275 days. Therapists had to teach the tiny baby how to breathe and eat.
According to Sky News, the Guinness World Records and the University of Alabama at Birmingham announced the birth of Curtis on November 10 as he set a new world record as the world’s smallest premature baby to survive.
Mum Michelle Butler said: “Being able to finally take Curtis home and surprise my older children with their younger brother is a moment I will always remember.”
Curtis has three older siblings and still needs supplemental oxygen and a feeding tube, but doctors say he is in good health.
Dr Brian Sims, the University of Alabama at Birmingham neonatologist who oversaw the delivery, told Guinness World Records: “I’ve been doing this almost 20 years, but I’ve never seen a baby this young be as strong as he was. There was something special about Curtis.”
Guinness World Records confirmed that Curtis set the new record for the most premature baby to survive.
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