A baby boy born at just 21 weeks has become the world’s most premature survivor and celebrated his first birthday this month.
Many wonder if God still does miracles? Well, let me tell you about little Nash. His story shows us that our Lord still moves in ways that baffle doctors. God reminds us that He has authority over every trial, sickness, and death.
Baby Nash Born at 21 Weeks
Nash Keen came into this world on July 5, 2024, at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
This little fighter weighed only 10 ounces. He was just over 9 inches long. To help you picture this, he was smaller than a grapefruit. Nash was born 133 days early.
His parents, Mollie and Randall Keen, had already walked through heartbreak. They lost their baby girl McKinley at 18 weeks two years before Nash was born.
Mollie has health problems that make pregnancy difficult. She has an incompetent cervix and polycystic ovary syndrome.
When Mollie went for her 20-week checkup with Nash, something felt wrong. She asked the doctors to look closer. They found she was already 2 centimeters dilated.
A few days later, contractions started. “We were devastated,” Mollie said. “We thought we were going through the exact same thing. We thought we were going to lose this baby.”
Doctors Give Zero Percent Chance
The doctors worked hard to keep Nash inside until he reached 21 weeks. They managed to delay labor for just 10 hours after Nash passed that mark.
Dr. Patrick McNamara was honest with the family about Nash’s chances. “I would have told his parents, ‘The chance is zero, but I hope I’m wrong, and we will do everything we can to help him,'” he said.
Nash’s fight was just beginning. He spent 198 days in the hospital. The medical team watched his heart and brain every day.
Nash needed surgery for a perforated bowel, which has up to a 40% death rate.
Nash Shows Signs of Hope
Around one month old, the doctors started feeling more hopeful. “While we knew Nash still had a long journey ahead, that was the point when we started to feel more confident that he had a real chance of going home,” one doctor said.
Randall Keen praised the medical team. “They were on top of it every step of the way. They really gave him a fighting chance,” he said. “They were really honest with us during the whole journey about what his chances looked like.”
Nash Finally Goes Home
After six months in the hospital, Nash went home in January 2025. He still needs oxygen and uses a feeding tube. He wears hearing aids and goes to therapy for developmental delays. But his mom says he has a big personality and smiles all the time.
Nash broke the record held by Curtis Means, who was born at 21 weeks and 1 day in 2020. Guinness World Records made it official.
Mollie wants Nash to know how loved he is. “I want him to see his story as a source of strength,” she said. She hopes that by age 5, no one will know he was born so early.
Nash’s story fills our hearts with hope. When doctors said impossible, God said possible. Let us pray for Nash’s continued healing and for all families facing similar battles.
WATCH: Baby Born at 21 Weeks Defies Doctors and Celebrates First Birthday
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