- Feb 5, 2002
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‘There was absolutely nothing else that I could do but watch the monitors and pray to God that his will once again may be done.’
In early 2025, Keishera and Greg Joubert were overjoyed to learn they were expecting a second son. But at 19 weeks, a devastating diagnosis shattered their excitement: Cassian had Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome (CHAOS), a rare, usually fatal condition where a thick membrane blocks the airway.
Refusing to give up, the Catholic couple found hope in Dr. Emanuel Vlastos at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital in Florida. When a standard prenatal surgery failed to cut through the membrane, Dr. Vlastos proposed a radical, groundbreaking alternative. At 25 weeks, doctors partially delivered Cassian via C-section — bringing only his head and arms out of the womb. Still sustained by the placenta, specialists performed a delicate tracheostomy to create an airway before returning him to safety inside his mother.
Six weeks later, Keishera’s water broke. A massive team of 30 medical professionals mobilized for a final surgery to secure Cassian's breathing outside the womb.
He was, quite literally, born twice.
Continued below.
In early 2025, Keishera and Greg Joubert were overjoyed to learn they were expecting a second son. But at 19 weeks, a devastating diagnosis shattered their excitement: Cassian had Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome (CHAOS), a rare, usually fatal condition where a thick membrane blocks the airway.
Refusing to give up, the Catholic couple found hope in Dr. Emanuel Vlastos at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital in Florida. When a standard prenatal surgery failed to cut through the membrane, Dr. Vlastos proposed a radical, groundbreaking alternative. At 25 weeks, doctors partially delivered Cassian via C-section — bringing only his head and arms out of the womb. Still sustained by the placenta, specialists performed a delicate tracheostomy to create an airway before returning him to safety inside his mother.
Six weeks later, Keishera’s water broke. A massive team of 30 medical professionals mobilized for a final surgery to secure Cassian's breathing outside the womb.
He was, quite literally, born twice.
Continued below.
