"It's really a miracle": Boy who spent first 1,000 days of life in hospitals goes home
Francesco Bruno went home from the hospital for the first time Tuesday after spending the first 1,000 days or so of his life in hospitals, CBS Chicago's Shardaa Gray reports from La Rabida Hospital.
Francesco will be three in December.
He's seen nothing but the inside of hospital walls his whole life, relying on a ventilator to breathe and tubes to help him eat.
But on Tuesday, that all changed.
"We're very happy, nervous, tense, scared, overwhelmed, really happy, overjoyed. It's just a melting pot of emotions," said Francesco's father, Emanuele Bruno.
Francesco has a life-threatening genetic condition that affects his bones and muscles. He was diagnosed with a rare form of skeletal dysplasia that specifically impacts his ribs, making it difficult for his lungs to grow properly.
But his parents say he's a fighter.
"They told us [when] he was going to be born, he was only going to live for 30 minutes. It's really a miracle he's with us today," said his mother, Priscilla Bruno.
Francesco's been to four hospitals in three states.
On Tuesday, he got to go home and be with his family.
It's not only emotional for his parents, but for the staff at La Rabida Hospital as well.
Taking Francesco home won't be without challenges, but hospital staff said he's getting stronger every day, and his parents took classes and are trained to handle his many needs.
"The day that he first got admitted, those conversations were starting to happen between our case management and our nursing team to get them ready and prepared," said Olivia Hayes, the La Rabida charge nurse.
"We're going to do this one day at a time, like we've been doing until now," said Emanuele Bruno.