MIAMI (WSVN) - He’s a medical miracle: a premature baby who spent more than 100 days in the hospital. Now his mother is sharing her gratitude with the South Florida hospital staff who saved his life.
The Jackson Health System does amazing life-saving work like this every day.
Patricia Fusco spoke with 7News, just in time for an annual event that she hopes will encourage people to help them save even more lives.
“I always say that I see many, many miracle stories at Jackson. Never did I think that I would be one of them,” Patricia Fusco said.
Loved ones describe 2-year-old Joseph Patrick, nicknamed J.P., as a vibrant and curious baby, but he’s had a long journey.
“We thought it was going to be a regular pregnancy, We didn’t think there were going to be any bumps along the road,” Fusco said, “but very early on, we discovered that things weren’t ideal.”
It all started when Fusco found out she wasn’t able to have children.
“Ever since I was in high school, I knew that I couldn’t have kids,” she said. “My best friend, Katrina Webman, offered to be our surrogate.”
Webman, who already had two children of her own, expected it would be another easy pregnancy.
It turned out to be anything but.
At 23 weeks, Webman suffered from terrible headaches and high blood pressure.
“It’s a really scary situation to be in,” Fusco said.
As a Jackson Health System employee, Fusco knew first hand the quality of care at Jackson’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Webman was admitted, and that’s when she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure.
Two weeks later, doctors also found the placenta was no longer providing critical nutrition to the baby.
That’s when everyone came together to make a difficult decision.
“So that day, we all sat together with Dr. [Felipe] Tudela. I will never forget that day, being in Katrina’s hospital room, and made the decision to bring Joseph into this world,” Fusco said.
On May 27, 2021, at 25 weeks and five days old, J.P. was born, weighing just 1 pound, 4 ounces.
But it would be a long time before he would be able to go home.
“On Sept. 24, 2021, Joseph came home after 123 days,” Fusco said.
It’s stories like J.P.’s that established the One Day for Jackson, a day dedicated to raising funds for Jackson Health System, so they can continue help to save lives.
Today, J.P. continues to grow and thrive.
His family is grateful for their miracle baby.
“I have the blessing of getting to celebrate my miracle, Joseph Fusco, every single day of my life,” Fusco said.
The Jackson Health Foundation will host various events for One Day for Jackson on Thursday.
All proceeds go toward funding more miracle stories just like J.P.’s. For more information, click here.
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