Brit Premie's Dramatic NYC Birth Story Has Happy Ending
Katie Amos, Lee Johnston, and Dax. Photo by Caters News Agency.
A UK family that’s been stranded in New York City since Dec. 28 because of the premature birth of its baby has finally flown home — and in a private jet, at that.
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Katie Amos and Lee Johnston of Lincolnshire made headlines at the end of last year when, during a vacation in the big city, Amos went into labor 11 weeks early. Baby Dax was born weighing only 3 lbs., and doctors said he would not be strong enough to go home until March. On top of that, his parents were left to face nearly $200,000 in medical bills. Luckily, the couple’s insurance company wound up covering all of the medical costs; but the family had already put out an S.O.S. for assistance through a crowd sourcing web page, “Dax’s Tale of New York,” which swiftly brought in about $18,000 in donations.
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“We are lost for words with how supportive everyone has been and we can’t thank you all enough,” Johnston wrote on the GoGetFunding page, where he also noted that the funds raised would go toward Dax’s further medical costs in the U.K. and donations to the Ronald McDonald House (which reportedly put them up while in New York).
Photo by Caters News Agency
Last week, doctors at Lenox Hill Hospital cleared Dax to leave. “When we were finally given the all-clear to come home I broke down in tears, we were so happy, no words could describe it,” Amos told the Telegraph. “What had been a very slow process, all of a sudden changed and everything happened really quickly. It was like all of our New Year’s wishes had come true all at once.” Dax had to get his own passport before leaving the U.S., and having his photo taken for that meant doctors had to briefly remove the tubes that help Dax breathe and feed.
Photo by Caters News Agency
Once that was taken care of, the tiny patient and his parents were able to board a medical jet for safe transport. “On Friday evening we were transferred to the airport with Dax in the incubator,” his mother continued. “We had our own private plane with just us, the pilots, a team of doctors and nurses — it was like a military operation. We had to stop off to re-fuel twice in America before flying over the Atlantic and making a final stop in Iceland.” Meanwhile, a hospital bed awaits Dax in the UK, to help treat his reported condition of Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), meaning one of the main arteries from his heart has not closed properly.
"So many people have pulled together to help us get our little boy home — we will never forget it," Amos said. "The next step of our new life with Dax can finally begin, we couldn’t be more happy."