Family enjoys Christmas miracle after 9-month-old survives collapsed lung

Reporter: Amanda Hall Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:

A family is celebrating their first Christmas together after doctors at Golisano Children’s Hospital worked a miracle.

Little Lila was born full-term without complications. Doctors are still trying to find out how one of her lungs collapsed.

“About two and a half hours after I had her, they brought me up to the recovery floor and they unswaddled her, and she was in like full respiratory distress, out of nowhere,” said Allie White, Lila’s mom. “The first three days, we really didn’t think she was going to make it.”

Lila’s parents decided to have Lila transferred to Golisano Children’s Hospital at a level three trauma center.

Lila at Golisano Children’s Hospital (CREDIT: WINK News)

“It was really challenging because you’re going down and you’re receiving not great news,” said Michael White, Lila’s dad. “How do you go back to your wife who’s obviously emotionally going through that recovery process? How do you present her with information that, like, ‘Hey, your baby’s not really doing that well.'”

Doctors put Lila in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. Lila spent 26 days in the NICU while the hole in her lung healed.

Now Lila is 9 months old. Her parents and her older brother, Ford, are looking forward to Christmas, knowing they have already received the greatest gift.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.