'Fighting miracle': Premature NICU baby who died twice in operating room goes home

A baby boy who spent the first 151 days of his life outside the womb in the hospital and has been called a "little warrior" and a "fighting miracle" finally went home Thursday.

Aurelio Resendiz was just 2 pounds, 1 ounce when he was born prematurely at the 28th week of gestation. He was doing well in the neonatal intensive care unit at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in North Carolina until Mother's Day when doctors told his mother, Tabatha Resendiz, he needed emergency surgery.

"I delivered at 28 weeks. He was 2 pounds, 1 ounce, doing great," Tabatha told WECT. "Come March we were supposed to go home and we get a call on Mother's Day. He was going to surgery after that."

"He was two days from going home and his intestines had twisted and they had to do emergency surgery," NCIU nurse Monica Hyatt explained.

The little baby Aurelio fought hard for his life, requiring six surgeries before he began to recover.

"He died twice on the operating table and doctors brought him back to life. He is such a fighter," Hyatt said. While caring for Aurelio, nurse Hyatt developed a special relationship with him.

"He's such a cuddle bug. He just captured my heart," she said. Nurse Hyatt grew so close to the baby that his mother decided she ought to be a part of the family forever.

"It was heavy on my heart, so one day I approached her, and I said, 'Miss Monica, I don’t know how to ask you, but I would like for you to be Aurelio's godmother,' and she said, 'Are you serious?' and she accepted," Tabatha said.

"I have a godchild for life," Hyatt said. "I get to be a part of his life forever. There is nothing better."

Now, Aurelio is 10 pounds, 8 ounces and his stay at the hospital is over. According to WECT, he is being bottle-fed but still needs to have a colostomy bag and may need it for a while.

"It will hit me tomorrow when he is not here, but that's our goal," Hyatt said. "It's our goal to get them home, get them with family and get him well and he has done it."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misspelled Aurelio Resendiz's name. We apologize for the error. In addition, a typo in "NICU" in the headline has been corrected.

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