US surgeons say a deformed Samoan baby girl, initially denied entry into New Zealand last September but now set to return home to Samoa this week, can now live a “long, long time” after a series of successful operations in Miami, Florida.
Miracletina Julie Nanai, dubbed Baby Miracle, has been cleared to go home with her parents Sefulu and Mikaele Nanai, who from the village of Falelatai, Upolu, after spending several months in the US.
Medical authorities in Samoa and New Zealand gave the nine-month year old child little chance of survival when she was born last year. The plight of Baby Miracle and her rare medical condition and extreme deformities quickly went public in Samoa. News then spread into the Samoan communities overseas as family and supporters rallied to fundraise for the costs of travelling overseas for medical treatment.
After close to NZ$100,000 had been raised, New Zealand immigration boss Mary-Anne Thompson, who resigned her post earlier this month after controversies within her own department now currently under investigation, refused granting Baby Miracle a visa on the grounds that her chances of survival were low.
THORN Ministry’s To'oa Kristin Taylor, who has helped deformed Samoan children in the past, then collaborated with locals to get, to seek help in the US. Thankfully, local surgeons and hospitals offered their services.
