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A two-year-old boy suffering from a rare bone condition has finally left the hospital after spending the first 1,000 days of his life.
Priscilla and Emanuele Bruno, of Illinois, were told by doctors that their son, Francesco, would probably only live a few minutes after he was born.
He had developed something called deadly platyspondyl skeletal dysplasia, the Torrance type, in utero, which stunted his bone growth and prevented his ribs from developing properly.
But Francesco was a fighter and after he was born in December 2019 he beat the odds and survived.
A two-year-old boy suffering from a rare bone condition has finally left the hospital after spending the first 1,000 days of his life
Priscilla and Emanuele Bruno, of Illinois, were told by doctors that their son, Francesco, would probably only live a few minutes after he was born.
He had developed something called deadly platyspondyl skeletal dysplasia, Torrance type, in utero, which stunted his bone growth and prevented his ribs from developing properly.
But Francesco was a fighter and after he was born in December 2019 he beat the odds and survived
Now, after more than two years in seven different hospitals, he is finally home.
‘We are very happy, nervous, tense, scared, overwhelmed, really happy, overjoyed. It’s just a melting pot of emotions,” the little boy’s father said CBS News Chicago last Tuesday, as he prepared to take Francesco home.
His mother added: ‘They told us’ [when] he would be born, he would only live 30 minutes. It really is a miracle that he is with us today.’
For over 1000 days, the toddler relied on a ventilator to help him breathe and a tube to help him eat.
But now he has miraculously learned to breathe on his own, something his doctor, Erin Stroud, called a miracle.
“Because his ribs were so small, I wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to breathe on his own, if he’d ever get off the ventilator,” she admitted. Good morning America recently.
Now, after more than two years in seven different hospitals, he is finally home
‘We are very happy, nervous, tense, scared, overwhelmed, really happy, overjoyed. It’s just a melting pot of emotions,” the little boy’s father told CBS News Chicago last Tuesday
His mother added: ‘They told us’ [when] he would be born, he would only live 30 minutes. It’s really a miracle that he’s with us today.”
“The progress that stands out to me is that he can come off the ventilator all day and breathe on his own and he’s doing great.”
He is still fed through a tube and uses a ventilator at home at night, but the doctor remains hopeful about his future.
She explained that he will most likely always be “short stature” because his bones did not “grow and develop normally,” but that she is “excited to see what else he will do.”
“He’s already defied the odds of what his family was told when he was born, so I’m excited to see what else he will do,” she gushed. “He’s done so well that I feel like the sky is the limit on what he can do.”
Francesco’s father added: ‘The ability for him to tolerate breathing on his own is impressive and it also gives us great confidence and hope that this weaning can continue.
For over 1000 days, the toddler relied on a ventilator to help him breathe and a hose to help him eat
But now he has miraculously learned to breathe on his own, something his doctor, Erin Stroud, called a miracle.
He still gets tube feeding and uses a fan at home at night, but the doctor remains hopeful about his future
She explained that he will most likely always be “short stature” because his bones were not “growing and developing normally” but that she is “excited to see what else he will do”
“Of course, not overnight, but continue to the point where one day he can arrive to be completely independent of the trachea.”
Francesco’s progress is especially emotional for Priscilla and Emanuele, as the baby boy they had welcomed just before Francesco, whom they named Giovanni, died of the same condition after living just five days.
“We were well aware that we were very well aware that his death was very possible,” explains Emanuele.
Francesco has six siblings — Sofia, 13, Giosue, 11, Emanuele, 10, Maria Elisabetta, eight, Anna Lucia, seven, and Antonio, five — who are overjoyed to have him home.
‘[Francesco] can’t really sit alone but rolls around everywhere and there [are] ways for them to just pass the time,” his mother told GMA. “They love to sing and play with him and discover his new toys.”