The Miracle Baby Who Defied All Odds

Miracles happen in the world every moment, and the story before us is proof of that: A special baby brought joy to the staff at St. George's Hospital in London on her first birthday—and for good reason. That baby, Lacey Sheriff, has been hailed by doctors as nothing less than a 'medical miracle'.

Born prematurely in the 27th week and weighing just 1.4 pounds, Lacey's condition was extraordinary by any standard. At only five days old, she had to undergo emergency bowel surgery, during which her heart stopped twice, totaling 22 minutes. First, it stopped for an agonizing 12 minutes before doctors could stabilize her. Then, it paused again for another ten minutes.

"The surgery went well, but we saw her condition deteriorating and feared the worst," explains Dr. Thomas Breen, the anesthetist who was present during Lacey's surgery. "Still, when we saw little Lacey, we knew we had to fight with all our might for her. She was a fighter herself."

When her parents saw the look on one surgeon's face as he urgently left the room, they knew bad news was coming. "He told us that Lacey was very sick, and her chances were slim," said her parents, Louise and Philip, who live in Ashford.

Asked what their first thought was when they received the news, the parents said, "It was like an emotional rollercoaster. The first thought was that we were going home as a family of three, even though we came as four. We didn't think she would survive the surgery. We thought we had to prepare both birth and death certificates at the same time."

But then, against all odds, Lacey's heart started beating again. "I have never seen a case of such a young and sick baby 'die' in essence—and recover in such a short time with no sign of brain damage," Dr. Breen said this week.

After that surgery, Lacey's condition improved remarkably, but at 13 days old, she required another operation, this time to address breathing problems. It was only after 111 days in the hospital that the parents were able to return home—and for them, it was a double blessing—as Lacey's attending physician, Dr. Zahid Mukhtar, informed the elated parents that Lacey would be able to live a normal life without any damage, brain or otherwise.