Miracle Baby Born Without Intestines Gets One More Miracle

romania babySome may say that every baby is in some way a miracle, but multiple organ transplants and the perseverance of premature newborns reveal that some babies might be a little bit more of a miracle than others. Little Andrei is such a baby as he was born without intestines and has managed to live for eight months. But now, some time later, his poor parents have secured a lifesaving surgery — for free!

Described as having “twig-thin limbs” by msnbc, the now 8-month old baby was not expected to live beyond a few days following his birth. Still weighing less than an average newborn, Andrei reportedly has no visible muscles or fat and has spent most of his days in an incubator. His parents live in an impoverished part of Romania, rarely make the trek to visit him, and do not have the funds for a surgery that is not even available in Europe. The nurses are apparently so besotted with the infant that some have even played the lottery in the hopes of winning enough money for an intestinal transplant.

At present, the little baby only has four inches of intestine. He should have three yards. Without his surgery, deemed “urgent” by one doctor, the baby would probably live only a couple of more months.

However, Harvard University and some Boston hospitals have swooped in to save the day as Dr. Catalin Cirstoveanu, head of the neonatal unit at Bucharest’s Marie Curie children’s hospital, has offered to fly the baby overseas at the request of his parents. This opportunity for Andrei is also a particularly brilliant shade of wonderful in that Romanian culture is apparently notorious for medical bribes, an avenue to care that his parents no longer have to confront.

But between Dr. Cirstoveanu and an outpour of funds from people in Europe and the United States, it looks like Andrei is going to be all right. For a baby with reportedly very few options, his family and the medical staff are now looking at quite a few.

(photo: msnbc.msn.com)

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