RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia toddler born at 23 weeks is celebrating a major milestone after spending 193 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU.
Doctors gave Levi Rice only a 20% chance of survival when his mother, Mary Arthur, went into early labor.
Mary and her husband, Lamont Rice, live in the Northern Neck and raced to Richmond, where Levi was delivered via emergency C-section.
"They brought him by, and I just lost it, because I knew it wasn't good from what I could see," Arthur said. "You see your baby in a bag and a little one-pound baby with a tube in his mouth. You couldn't see anything, but his little head. And the doctor had told me that the first 24 hours were going to be critical, but they were gonna do everything they could do to save him."
Neonatologist Dr. Pankaj Kumar was among the first to treat Levi after delivery.
"There was no heart rate," Kumar said. "He was blue, he was limp, he was gasping. He required active resuscitation. We put a breathing tube in, stabilized him and brought him to the NICU."
Levi was classified as a micropremie.
His major organs had yet to develop, and he faced nearly every obstacle imaginable during his NICU stay — breathing machines, hernia and eye surgeries, and brain bleeds. His heart even stopped.
"When you walk in that room and you see your child flatline, and you hear that noise, and you don't see a dry eye in there, but they steady worked, and they worked on him," Rice said.
"I remember them saying that we have a heartbeat, and he hasn't lost it since," Arthur said.
Levi's care team included Kumar, nurse practitioner Melissa Dollings, and nurses MacKenzie Babson and Howard Barasi.
"They started calling me Uncle Howie, because of everything that I did with baby Levi's care, and that means so much to me," Barasi said.
"We celebrated every little milestone," Kumar said. "You know, the first touch, the first holding of the baby, first cry, first smile, first opening of the eyes. You know, skin to skin care. It was truly amazing."
While Mary and Lamont credit the care team with saving their son, the medical professionals say a parent's love played an equally important role.
"They came every day, regardless, good days, bad days, and supported him, loved him, were part of rounds, advocated always," Babson said. "That was just a beautiful thing to watch."
After more than six months in the NICU, Levi went home and has been growing and thriving ever since.
"He's just a strong little guy," Arthur said. "In the last probably, like four or five months, our therapist said, you know, he's at a pre-K level. He could probably start kindergarten early, and I was like, well, hold on, wait a minute."
At 2 years old, micropremies like Levi officially graduate from the NICU.
Levi has gained 27 pounds since his earliest days there — and a second family.
"I was not just a nurse with baby Levi, but you know, I'm also part of his family and his support system," Barasi said.
"We don't usually get to see when they're grown and healthy and thriving and meeting all these milestones," Babson said. "So, it's really, really special to see that he's a crazy little boy, and he's perfectly well."
"I think you know, his journey is a true journey of hope, courage and resilience," Kumar said.
For Mary, Lamont and Levi, the people and place that made it all possible will never be forgotten.
"God is good, and when you got God and you got VCU Health and Children Hospital, I mean, they make miracles," Lamont said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
