A baby boy born at just 24 weeks and weighing little more than a pound has defied the odds, graduating high school and preparing to study aerospace engineering at university.
Mikhail Varghese was born in 2006 at just 24 weeks gestation, weighing only 1lb 4oz (512g), barely more than a can of soup. He spent five months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
“The nurses, doctors, and a few volunteers became his immediate family, taking care of him when we were not there, beside his incubator, during the first months of his life” the Varghese family said.
At birth, Mikhail was part of the smallest category of premature infants, micro-premmies, and was given minimal chances of survival.
His early life was full of challenges. During his five-month stay at the NICU, he underwent an emergency heart surgery, treatment for a perforated intestine, and three hernia repairs. He also suffered from retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness. In his first year alone, Mikhail made repeated trips to the emergency room due to struggles with his immune system and bronchiolitis, an infection of the lungs. He also had strabismus, a misalignment of the eyes, and wore glasses from age 3.
Despite developmental delays that meant he did not start walking until the age of two, and years of physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as enduring bullying in school because of his special needs, Mikhail remained determined and is now 19 and headed to university.
At school, he excelled in Physics and Statistics, and even completed university-level calculus at Stanford University. He now plans to study aerospace engineering at Iowa State University.
“Life, with all of its challenges, is worth more than all our bad experiences and the curveballs it throws at each of us”, his family said.
“We cannot change our circumstances, but we can certainly change our attitudes…to choose our own way in the world”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Congratulations to Mikhail on his incredible achievement, who looks like he’s well on his way from NICU to NASA”.
“Stories like his are a powerful reminder that every life, no matter how small or fragile in the beginning, holds immeasurable value and potential. We hope his story encourages others to protect and support the lives of our most vulnerable children”.
