At just 18 months old, a baby boy has already had eight surgeries and nearly died in the hospital.
On Oct. 9, 2023, Ashleigh Brand gave birth to her son, Luca, six weeks early. He was born with CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects the nerves, heart, eyes, genitals and ears, which has endangered his life and will require more intensive care in the future, Brand told News.com.au.
“It was a very horrible experience,” Brand told the outlet about learning of her son’s condition.
The new mom said that they weren’t sure Luca would survive when he arrived so early, according to News.com.au. Since his birth, Luca has spent a great deal of time in the hospital amidst his surgeries.
“He’s had a lot of complications with his brain,” Brand told the outlet. “He has two shunts on each side, but they both got blocked and needed clearing, and they also replaced the valves.”
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Luca also has a feeding tube, sleeps with oxygen and requires different types of therapy. He nearly died after he couldn’t stop vomiting for five days straight, the outlet reported.
“It’s been horrible, but you have to just be strong for him. Sometimes I have my moments and ask, ‘why us?’ ” Brand told the outlet. “But at the same time, he obviously chose us for a reason.”
Her family has rallied around the young family. In a GoFundMe page, the organizer, who identifies himself as Brand’s cousin, set a goal of raising $10,000 to support Luca’s care by going on a “six-week cycling adventure.”
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“He will require specialist medical care and equipment for the rest of his life,” wrote Brand’s cousin, “and this will no doubt incur significant costs as he gets older.”
While Luca’s future is unknown, both in terms of future surgeries and the functionality of his speech, vision and mobility, his bubbly personality has remained, according to News.com.au.
“He’s the cutest little boy,” the proud mom told the outlet, “he’s so happy considering everything he’s been through.”
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