16 Hospitals Turn Their Backs On A 13-Ounce Preemie Before One Hospital Saves His Life And Throws Him Epic "Graduation"

Sep 03, 2018 by apost team

Premature babies have to struggle just to survive. Normally, a baby develops lungs and other organs in the womb. When they are born too early, these organs are not developed properly. Because of this, premature babies often have to stay in the hospital for weeks or months after birth just to stay alive. One baby had a particularly difficult experience. 

Cullen Porter was born much earlier than your average baby. Since he was born at 22 weeks gestation, he was only 13.9 ounces in weight. Because of his size, doctors did not believe that he would survive. His mother, Molli Potter, was told that Cullen only had a 2 percent chance of surviving. 

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Molli went into labor at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. In her Facebook post, she wrote that the hospital's policy was to not save babies who were born before 24 weeks. They did not believe that these premature infants were likely to live, so they did not bother trying to save their lives. 

This sounds shocking, but the same view is held by physicians around the world. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics in the United Kingdom wrote in 2006 that infants born at Cullen's age should not be saved. Instead, they should just be allowed to die. 

In fairness, it is extremely rare for a baby to survive if it has been in the womb for less than 22 weeks. At that point in gestation, the baby has only a 1 percent chance of survival if it has the best intensive care program. Even if the child survives, it will most likely have severe disabilities for a lifetime. According to doctors, the pain caused by medical interventions is unethical and only prolongs the baby's death. 

These beliefs might be the reason why none of the hospitals that the Potter family called would bother treating Cullen. Ultimately, the Potter family called 16 different hospitals. Each hospital turned them away and would not bother to care for Cullen. Finally, one hospital in Alabama said that they would help. 

Unfortunately, Cullen's story is not a rare one. The new hospital had a 68 percent success rate and was one of the only treatment centers that would care for such young infants. When the Potter family heard that someone was willing to care for their baby, they immediately transferred Cullen from Florida to Alabama. Thanks to the new medical team, Cullen had a chance at survival. 

It took five months of intensive care and medical treatments, but Cullen was finally sent home from the hospital. When the big day finally came, the doctors and nurses gathered together to give him a grand graduation. They put the infant into a cap and gown before parading him down the hallways. Everyone was in tears as they watched the miracle baby prepare for his first day at home. 

What do you think of the way this hospital cared for little Cullen? Let us know in the comments, and show this heartwarming article to your friends and family!