Cherish

Cherish

Age: 4

Diagnosis: Meconium Aspiration

Lisa Uesugi, Photographer

When Emmy gave birth to Cherish, she was not expecting her baby to be ill. Cherish was a full-term baby but was born with meconium aspiration, a condition where the baby ingests its own feces in utero. The condition often results in severe breathing problems at birth. Cherish was immediately transferred to Kapi‘olani Medical Center where she was placed on ECMO, a heart and lung bypass machine. She remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a month before going home. Cherish is currently a preschooler at St. Francis Preschool and loves to sing and dance. “Knowing what Cherish went through as a baby is a reminder that she is truly our miracle child,” said Emmy. “I am so blessed to have her in my life and grateful for the care that she received at Kapi‘olani.”

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