Nathan Alves Machado spent the first 17 months of his life in Boston hospitals, but he'll be home to celebrate the holidays for the first time this year.
Born prematurely at just 25 weeks, Nathan weighed less than one pound at birth, according to the team at Franciscan Children's, who would spend months helping Nathan grow and his parents learn to manage his unique needs. He spent the first nine months of his life at Boston Children's Hospital on a ventilator, fed by a tube. He then moved to Franciscan Children's for further treatment.
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Staff worked with Nathan's parents, Suellen Alves Goncalves and Arthur Machado of Webster, Mass., to teach them how to take proper care of him, including practicing emergency skills in a simulation program. Now, at 17 months old, he's weighing in at 23 pounds!
“We’re so appreciative of everyone at Franciscan Children’s,” said Nathan’s mom Suellen. “They took great care of our son and have become like family to us.”
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Nathan still uses a portable vent. He has ongoing cardiac issues and pulmonary hypertension and will eventually need surgery to fix a heart problem - but Franciscan reports that none of that stops him from being an active, cheerful baby.
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