"Benji! Nothing short of a miracle. At 21 weeks of pregnancy, what I thought was just a headache and indigestion was diagnosed as preeclampsia and admission to hospital for the next four weeks.

Daily scans, that crucial talk with NICU head, discussing the survival rate and risks was traumatic and didn’t help my blood pressure to stay in control. Every day was like, can I get another day. 25 weeks hit, and that was it; platelets went to an all time low, and Benji was delivered by emergency cesarean.

I had this confidence that now that Benji was in the best care, he would make it. Every day felt like climbing a hill without knowing if there was a top to that hill. 150 days in the hospital, I learnt to cherish and be grateful for things I would have taken for granted in a normal circumstance.

So many critical moments where we didn’t think he would survive those multiple lung haemorrhages, abdomen distension, hernia repair, abnormal kidney function, infections, just to name a few.

Benji is almost 2 years now, and I can still smell NICU. Any beeps haunt me.
Looking at him today, he is a loving, kind, happy, healthy kid- nothing short of a miracle.