Priscilla and Emanuele Bruno already had six kids when they found out they were expecting another baby boy.
Unfortunately, during one of their standard doctor’s appointments, they found out their baby would be born with a condition that affected his bones and muscles.
His lungs would not get the chance to grow properly, and this would put the baby’s life at risk. In fact, doctors didn’t give the baby boy more than 30′ of life expectancy.
“They told us [when] he was going to be born, he was only going to live for 30 minutes. It’s really a miracle he’s with us today,” his mother told CBS News.
However, this was nothing new to the couple. A few years back, they had brought into the world another baby who was diagnosed with the same condition. Sadly, their baby didn’t make it and died a week after birth.
So, hearing that they were expecting another baby with the same health issue made them fear the worst, but also gave them the strength to fight for their little boy’s life.
“The fact that we’re standing here almost three years later talking about him,” Emanuele Bruno said, “is a miracle in itself.”
As soon as little Francesco was born, he needed special treatment for his condition. In the three years that followed, he was hospitalized in four different hospitals in three different states. The last one was La Rabida Hospital in Chicago.
But the brave little guy never gave up.
“The day that he first got admitted, those conversations were starting to happen between our case management and our nursing team to get them ready and prepared,” said Olivia Hayes, the La Rabida charge nurse.
Over these past years, Francesco’s parents have been taking special classes in order to cover their child’s needs when he goes home.
And, finally, a few days ago, the time came for Francesco to go home to his family.
Not only his parents but also his six siblings had been waiting so long for this moment. Of course, going home doesn’t come without challenges for the little boy and his family, but he is a fighter and those who love him are committed to providing him with the best care possible.
When leaving the hospital, it was not only Francesco’s parents who got emotional but the staff as well, after having spent so much time with the toddler.
Doctors and nurses kept sending the little boy kisses, and they wished them a happy return home.
“It just shows how much hard work he has put in, how much hard work his family puts in; they do so much,” an emotional Speech Language Pathologist told ABC 7 Chicago.
The family couldn’t be happier to bring their boy home after three years of him seeing only hospital walls around him. And all that, only a couple of months before Francesco turns three in December.
Find out more details about this touching story in the video below.
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