Three-week-old Ashlyn Julian had an aneurysm the size of an olive that was causing bleeding in her brain and could have killed her. Doctors had to find a way to stop the bleeding and save her life even though she was so tiny, just a fragile newborn. Amazingly, what they used was superglue.
OK, so it's MEDICAL superglue. But the compounds and ingredients are roughly the same as the commercial stuff, and thanks to that, this baby will have a normal, healthy life. It's hard to believe, right?
It turns out that because of little Ashlyn's size, the doctors were worried about trying to use their grownup-sized tools to repair her bleeding brain. There simply are no infant-sized tools. Still, they needed to perform surgery of some kind. And so they used this amazing method.
Using a catheter, they maneuvered into the spot where the bleed was and deposited this special "superglue." The glue dried within seconds and repaired the bleed. Just like that.
This baby will have a normal life. It's a miracle.
At just 3 weeks, her parents have likely just gotten over the shock of pregnancy and birth. To be dealing with something like this is just unimaginable. I am sure they thought they brought home a healthy baby and they imagined her life and all that would happen in it. Then, in an instant, with one diagnosis, all of that was in jeopardy.
Now she is back on track. This baby should be able to do everything any other baby can do. She will grow and thrive and play sports and go to school and have friends and live her life. All because of superglue.
When we think of miracles, we usually think of God, but after this, I will think of the doctors who came up with a creative solution and gave a newborn the greatest gift possible -- a full, wonderful life. Amazing.
Would you ever imagine superglue could do this?
Image via David Goehring/Flickr