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Cassy Cooke
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Human Interest·By Melissa Manion
Baby born at 24 weeks heads home from the hospital after nearly a year
After the longest recorded stay in the history of North Memorial Health in Maple Grove, Minnesota, baby Adonis is now home with his family after being born at 24 weeks, five days.
Baby Adonis was born at just 24 weeks, five days in October of 2025.
He was recently discharged from the NICU just in time to celebrate his first birthday at home.
One of his nurses said Adonis' story shows that premature babies deserve a chance and can exceed expectations.
In October of 2025, Jasmin Wellington experienced the early and unexpected delivery of her baby boy. Adonis, whom North Memorial Health has nicknamed their “miracle baby,” was born at just 24 weeks and five days gestation, weighing a mere one pound, eight ounces — just slightly more than the weight of a loaf of bread. He was brought straight to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and initially, there was little hope of his survival.
"The first couple of days, he was really, really sick," said Katherine Martinson, one of his nurses. "I remember going home and coming back and saying, 'I hope and pray he's still here.'"
Adonis would battle both Staphylococcus aureus and pneumonia during those first crucial months.
"It's been a lot of ups and downs. It's been a long journey. Definitely a lot of anxiety in the beginning when he had more critical care," said Wellington. "It's hard to describe a long NICU journey like this. I really don't know how I even survived."
Junior Rancy-Quaye, Adonis’ father, was sure that he knew what got them through. "It was God's plan, because we didn't have no control of anything. Just have faith, put your trust in God, that's the only recipe that we've got," he said.
The journey since Adonis' early birth was never easy; one nurse told People Magazine that ‘Adonis has been fighting every day’. The hospital also noted that Adonis’ stay was the longest recorded in the hospital’s history. The hospital released Adonis to go home with his family just last week, almost a full year after his delivery. He went home with oxygen support; however, the care team is ‘hopeful’ he will outgrow that need.
Nearing his first birthday, he is weighing in at 20 pounds, remarkable for such a delicate start. "It's a miracle that he's going home," said Martinson. "A lot of babies at that gestation that are born that early go to a different hospital to get a trach, or g-tube or other specialized care that we don't have here. The fact he's going home with his family is a huge deal.” She added, "I want people to believe in miracles, because he really is, he really is a miracle. I know other people have said that, but he truly is. Miracles do happen. Give babies a chance when they're born that early; a lot of people don't realize they can exceed expectations, even when they're born that early."
Rancy-Quaye advised others, “Put your trust in God. That’s the only recipe we got.”
Wellington added that she’s grateful that her son is alive and returning home. “He’s definitely meant to be here,” she said.
Every baby deserves their best chance at life. Yet, states including Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Utah allow for abortion up to so-called "viability," roughly considered 24 to 26 weeks. Massachusetts recently passed a law that allows abortion at any point in pregnancy based on a physician's judgment, and Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. have no restrictions at all on abortion. They offer zero protections for preborn babies through all 40 weeks of pregnancy for any reason. Yet babies like Adonis prove that these children are living human beings capable of surviving even when born as young as 21 weeks. Nash Keen currently holds the Guinness Book of Records for the “most premature baby," after he was born at 21 weeks (133 days premature) on July 5, 2024.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Human Interest·By Melissa Manion
Baby born at 24 weeks heads home from the hospital after nearly a year
After the longest recorded stay in the history of North Memorial Health in Maple Grove, Minnesota, baby Adonis is now home with his family after being born at 24 weeks, five days.
Baby Adonis was born at just 24 weeks, five days in October of 2025.
He was recently discharged from the NICU just in time to celebrate his first birthday at home.
One of his nurses said Adonis' story shows that premature babies deserve a chance and can exceed expectations.
In October of 2025, Jasmin Wellington experienced the early and unexpected delivery of her baby boy. Adonis, whom North Memorial Health has nicknamed their “miracle baby,” was born at just 24 weeks and five days gestation, weighing a mere one pound, eight ounces — just slightly more than the weight of a loaf of bread. He was brought straight to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and initially, there was little hope of his survival.
"The first couple of days, he was really, really sick," said Katherine Martinson, one of his nurses. "I remember going home and coming back and saying, 'I hope and pray he's still here.'"
Adonis would battle both Staphylococcus aureus and pneumonia during those first crucial months.
"It's been a lot of ups and downs. It's been a long journey. Definitely a lot of anxiety in the beginning when he had more critical care," said Wellington. "It's hard to describe a long NICU journey like this. I really don't know how I even survived."
Junior Rancy-Quaye, Adonis’ father, was sure that he knew what got them through. "It was God's plan, because we didn't have no control of anything. Just have faith, put your trust in God, that's the only recipe that we've got," he said.
The journey since Adonis' early birth was never easy; one nurse told People Magazine that ‘Adonis has been fighting every day’. The hospital also noted that Adonis’ stay was the longest recorded in the hospital’s history. The hospital released Adonis to go home with his family just last week, almost a full year after his delivery. He went home with oxygen support; however, the care team is ‘hopeful’ he will outgrow that need.
Nearing his first birthday, he is weighing in at 20 pounds, remarkable for such a delicate start. "It's a miracle that he's going home," said Martinson. "A lot of babies at that gestation that are born that early go to a different hospital to get a trach, or g-tube or other specialized care that we don't have here. The fact he's going home with his family is a huge deal.” She added, "I want people to believe in miracles, because he really is, he really is a miracle. I know other people have said that, but he truly is. Miracles do happen. Give babies a chance when they're born that early; a lot of people don't realize they can exceed expectations, even when they're born that early."
Rancy-Quaye advised others, “Put your trust in God. That’s the only recipe we got.”
Wellington added that she’s grateful that her son is alive and returning home. “He’s definitely meant to be here,” she said.
Every baby deserves their best chance at life. Yet, states including Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Utah allow for abortion up to so-called "viability," roughly considered 24 to 26 weeks. Massachusetts recently passed a law that allows abortion at any point in pregnancy based on a physician's judgment, and Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. have no restrictions at all on abortion. They offer zero protections for preborn babies through all 40 weeks of pregnancy for any reason. Yet babies like Adonis prove that these children are living human beings capable of surviving even when born as young as 21 weeks. Nash Keen currently holds the Guinness Book of Records for the “most premature baby," after he was born at 21 weeks (133 days premature) on July 5, 2024.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Cassy Cooke
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Guest Column
Marie Mierzejewski
·Human Interest
Tori Shaw
·Human Interest
Joanna Calhoun
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Newsbreak
Melissa Manion
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·Issues
Melissa Manion
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·