During a routine ultrasound, Tammy Gonzalez from Miami, Florida, received unexpected news that no parent anticipates. As she underwent the standard procedure, doctors made an astonishing observation: what initially appeared to be a large bubble near her baby’s mouth.
Gonzalez couldn’t help but inquire, “Is that on me or the baby?” Upon closer examination, the medical team identified this enigmatic bubble as a teratoma. Teratomas are exceedingly rare and often fatal tumors, affecting approximately 1 in every 100,000 births, as reported by Diply. Faced with this dire situation, Gonzalez’s doctors recommended terminating the pregnancy to avoid the risk of a potential miscarriage.
Nonetheless, Gonzalez firmly declined, firmly believing that there must be a solution to rescue her baby. She remembered her unwavering resolve, stating, “They informed me about how rapidly that tumor could grow. I firmly asserted, “There must be a remedy.” Luckily, she stumbled upon the option of endoscopic surgery, a groundbreaking procedure. Her unwavering reaction to this risky choice was straightforward: “Let’s move forward.”
Dr. John Kerry, director of the Fetal Medicine Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, led the landmark surgery. It was Ruben Quintero. With precision and care, he skillfully guided a miniature camera and surgical instruments through a quarter-inch incision in Gonzalez’s abdomen and into the amniotic sac. Astonishingly, Gonzalez remained conscious throughout the entire procedure.
Describing her experience, she recalled, “I couldn’t sense the incision due to the local anesthetic, but I could feel the tube entering the sac, akin to the sensation of a balloon popping.” The camera afforded Quintero an exceptionally close-up view of the tumor, enabling him to assess the risks associated with its removal. “It was a critical juncture.” Dr. Quintero expressed his views at this critical juncture. We made the decision to sever the stem, and as anticipated, the tumor simply slipped away.”
Gonzalez breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the tumor leave her baby’s face on the ultrasound screen. He said, “It was amazing. It was like a 500-ton weight was lifted off me.” Because the tumor was too large to be removed through the amniotic sac, it remained in the womb until Leyna was born, four months later, and when the tumor had significantly reduced in size.
Presently, Gonzalez joyfully informs that her daughter Leyna is flourishing. She enthusiastically mentioned, “Leyna is in excellent health, sporting only a minor scar on the roof of her mouth. She engages in conversation, enjoys beverages, and truly is my precious miracle.”