While most parents think the birth of their newborn is a miracle, 18-month-old Rameo Buffong is the epitome of the word. Born two months early weighing just 2.5 kilos, parents Adrianne Katramanos and Teon Buffong were given the devastating news that their son was only expected to live for 48-hours.
Within seconds of his birth, it was clear that the Rameo wasn't breathing properly and he was rushed to intensive care. All while his desperate mother was haemorrhaging and ended up needing emergency surgery. While Adrianne, from Cardiff, was undergoing her own procedure, the neonatal team surrounded Rameo desperately trying to get a tube down his tiny nose to help him breathe.
After days of trying to work out what was wrong with the tiny baby, Rameo was rushed to specialists in London's Great Ormond Street Hospital where he underwent a risky seven hour operation at just seven days old.
Read more: Baby born without upper airway baffles doctors as to how he's still alive
Surgeons worked out he was only alive at all because, incredibly, his food pipe was acting as a substitute for his trachea and his body was able to receive small amounts of oxygen through a tiny piece of cartilage connected to his lung.
Rameo was taken to surgery for an extensive operation that his parents were warned he may well not survive. During his seven hours in theatre he was fitted with a tube to provide nutrition directly in to his veins and given a blood transfusion. His surgeons also reformed an oesophagus and fitted a tracheostomy so that he could be ventilated.
These operations managed to save Rameo's life and while he will never be able speak or communicate, the operations he had in the early days of his life are the reason he's still here today. His mum says that doctors told her they had never seen anything like Rameo's syndrome before, and as a result there was no name for it.
On October 3 2022, 18-months after his traumatic birth on April 5 2021, baby Rameo finally left the paediatric unit at the Noah's Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff and his mum and dad - who couldn't hold their son for the first month of his life - could finally take him home.
Despite being given a prognosis of a few short days, Rameo has beaten all the odds and the "cheeky little boy" is finally home with his family, including his eight-year-old and 20-year-old sisters.
Adrianne wants to share Rameo's miracle story because until his birth, both she and her doctors had no idea of what complications awaited them.
"This was something that would never show up on a scan," she said. "When I was pregnant with him they thought he was going to be born with small legs. They said that his femur was too small." In reality, his limbs were fine however he was sadly born without an upper airway which had not been detected.
"They [doctors] haven’t got a name for it because they haven’t ever seen it before," said Adrianne. "It might have happened over the world and just not reported but in the UK. He is the first, they’ve never seen it before."
While his trachie means he will never be able to speak, for his family the most important thing is that their miracle baby continues to defy all odds. " He is a very special baby because really he shouldn’t be here," said Adrianne. "Everything they said he wouldn’t be able to do he has surprised everybody and over come it.
"Now he is 18 months old and he is a very cheeky little boy. He’s such happy little boy he is always laughing and smiling. Since he has come home he is coming on brilliant," she said.
As a result of spending 18 months in hospital Rameo is slightly behind on his development in term of mobility, but Adrianne says that he is now shuffling around and one day expects him to "get up and go".
While his parents are "so pleased" to have their loving son home in time for his first Christmas, the last year and a half have been a huge strain on them. Between moving house in preparation for Rameo's new equipment, to observing covid rules, the family are over the moon that their son who "has only even known the hospital" is finally home with them.
"It was difficult," said Adrianne. "For example, with covid and everything he was born in April but his sister wasn’t allowed to meet him until August. His dad’s from Birmingham and so so many of his family haven’t met him, so many of my family haven’t met him
"Even when covid regulations everywhere else were being loosened they still weren’t doing that in the hospital because they had to take care It was only from July that people could come on the ward to see him other than that it was just me and his dad. It’s been such a stressful situation. It’s amazing having him home."
For the most part Rameo's treatment is done, however the miracle baby will always be on St Ormond Street's books for monitoring. He is due to have another big operation on his trachea next year but other than that his parents hope he will be able to continue with his life.
"They’re going to try and put a stent in and then hopefully they can try and connect his stomach up to his osophegus," said Adrianne. "If the stent works out then hopefully that will be the last operation but he will always be fed through the tube and he will always have the trachie. But he will never be able to speak, we will never hear him say his first words or anything like that."
He will always need special 24/7 supervision because without the tarchie Rameo will not survive. As a result, Adrianne and Teon have undergone specialist training to be able to care fir him.
"For everything he has been through he is always so happy. This was something that would never show up on a scan and If you looked at him you’d never think he has been through what he’s been through, he’s the happiest child ever. He’s just such a little character," said Adrianne.
And despite the joy of finally having her son at home, Adrianne admits it's still tough at times. "We’ve still got mixed emotions, I get quite emotional sometimes. It’s horrible not being able to hear his voice, you can see him mouthing but you can’t hear anything.
"It is heartbreaking but we are just so lucky to have him, he is a little miracle."
And it's clear Rameo has made an impression not just on his doting family, but on the nurses who looked after him at Noah's Ark.
Sharing a post about the tot's departure the charity wrote: "Today is a joyous day on Island ward because Rameo finally gets to go home, having spent his whole life as an inpatient at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales.
"18-month old Rameo is a medical miracle. Born with no upper airway, his clinical team couldn’t work out how he was able to breathe at all until they worked out that his food pipe was acting as a substitute for his oesophagus and his body was able to receive small amounts of oxygen through a tiny piece of cartilage connected to his lung. Despite having successful surgery to re-form an oesophagus and being fitted with a tracheostomy so that he could receive ventilation, Rameo’s needs were considered so complex that his parents were told he may never leave hospital.
"But all that changed last Christmas when a trial replacement of a larger trachie made it possible for Rameo to breathe without the need of a ventilator. And today, after months of preparation which included a house move for the family, Rameo gets to go home for good.
"Good luck little Rameo. We’ll miss you very much but we’re so happy for you all."
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