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South Africa

Celebrating 365 days of Hope – micro-premature baby turns 1

───   08:33 Wed, 20 Mar 2019

Celebrating 365 days of Hope – micro-premature baby turns 1 | News Article
Lesley and Dorianne Daniels with birthday girl Hope (Photo: Miracle of Hope/ Facebook)

In her pink fairy princess birthday outfit, miracle baby Hope Daniels was the belle of her birthday ball when she returned to Netcare Kuils River Hospital on Tuesday to celebrate her milestone.


African Bank hosted a party for Hope, a micro-premature baby born at 24 weeks gestation and then spent most of her young life in hospital.

She weighed only 300g when she was born on March 19, 2018, and was discharged only days before Christmas.

Hope is thought to be one of the smallest micro-premature babies, in terms of weight, to ever survive in South Africa.

Her proud parents, Lesley and Dorianne, on Tuesday morning posted on their page, Miracle of Hope:

"365 days old / 12 months / 1 year old today! My angel was born 109 days earlier than expected. By the grace, love and favour of God she is 1 year old. You have shown me a whole new meaning to life. You have given me Hope by just your [zest] for life. Mommy and Daddy love you tremendously my angel," they wrote, accompanying the post with a photo of themselves with Hope in her pink party outfit.

Already sitting on her own

In December the couple told News24 that Hope had been their miracle baby after having tried for a child for 10 years.

She was born via emergency caesarean section at Netcare Kuils River in Cape Town.

Sister Claire Pitt, the neonatal and paediatric intensive care unit manager, told News24 their little patient's birthday marked "365 of Hope".

"She handled all the attention so well," Pitt said after the festivities.

It's been three months since Hope was discharged, but hospital staff still get their fix of cuteness from photos of the miracle baby in her little party outfits sent to them by Dorianne.

She also attends the hospital once a month.

Hope was progressing well since being discharged, Pitt said. While it would take between 18 months and two years for her to catch up developmentally with other children her age, she is already able to sit on her own and is off her oxygen machine.


News24

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