One-year-old needs life-saving surgery

Nathaniel Robinson has never left the hospital since he was born one year ago. A preemie, baby Nathaniel was delivered at 35 weeks. A full-term pregnancy is a minimum of 39 weeks. Premature babies tend to have more health problems than babies born closer to their due dates. In Nathaniel's case, he was diagnosed with pierre robin sequence shortly after his birth.

The condition, also known as pierre robin malformation, is a rare congenital birth defect characterised by an underdeveloped jaw, backward displacement of the tongue and upper airway obstruction.

Since birth, Nathaniel has had a nasogastric tube inserted through his nose so food can be delivered to his stomach. This is due to an upper airway obstruction as well as a cleft palate. The gastrostomy tube is needed to assist with feeding because he cannot be fed properly by mouth. His parents have not been able to bond with him sufficiently.

"Couple times I hold him in mi hand because he is on and off the ventilator. Sometimes them take him off so I can hold, but not much," the father Timothy Robinson said.

The last time Robinson held his son was on his birthday, November 1. At the time, nurses at the facility organised a birthday party for the tiny tot.

"It was wonderful because the nurses put on a little birthday thing and I hold him for his birthday," he said.

He has not seen much light in his baby's face since as the boy's lungs collapsed earlier this month. He is now desperately in need of the tracheostomy tube surgery, which will allow the young boy to breathe on his own without a ventilator.

Both parents told THE STAR that they have been trying to get him transferred to the Bustamante Hospital for Children for life-saving surgery, but said they have been told the paediatric hospital has no intensive care unit beds available.

Robinson told THE STAR that his son is a fighter, but watching him suffer has been unbearable.

"Last night [Monday] mi guh look for him and a five minutes mi affi stay inna di room because him don't look good," the elder Robinson said.

He added that over the last few days the condition of his son has worsened and the boy's belly is severely swollen.

"His belly very swell and puffy, when yuh touch it like it out fi bus and him string up from head to toe and him fighting real hard," Robinson said. Nathaniel is the youngest child for his father and the only child for his mother, 36-year-old Christina Redway. She fears he might die before he gets the surgery.

"It's the worst that he has been, the entire medical staff of the hospital was at the paediatric ward with him. They have to be resuscitating, they're trying to incubate him to put on the ventilator, it is not working," Redway said after visiting her child on Monday.

"It's the worst that he has been," she said.