We are urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly supporters) before the end of October to help save babies from abortion 365 days a year. Your first gift as a Life Defender today will be DOUBLED. Click here to make your monthly commitment.
A little girl born at just 23 weeks has defied the odds and is now home with her family. A micro-preemie, Valentina Alvarado weighed just 1 lb 4 oz at birth.
Valentina’s parents, Gaby Alvarado and Jesus Barraza, spoke at a news conference with hospital officials from Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center. The couple said that doctors believed Valentina’s chances were slim when Gaby went into labor on September 4, 2021. In fact, while babies as young as 21 weeks have survived, Jesus said doctors told him that if Valentina were born any earlier, there would have been no chance.
“The doctors told us that if she came before 23 weeks, they wouldn’t be able to do anything,” he said, according to NBC Bay Area. Thankfully, Valentina pulled through, but her first few months were not without concern.
“They had to put her on a machine, three different machines, to breathe but with oxygen,” Jesus said. “There were times when she needed 100% oxygen from the machine, she was surviving on just the machine.” He went on to describe how harrowing those first few months were. “Those first two months they had to resuscitate her three times,” he said.
Every day in America, more than 2,800 preborn babies lose their lives to abortion.
That number should break our hearts and move us to action.
Ending this tragedy requires daily commitment from people like you who refuse to stay silent.
Millions read Live Action News each month — imagine the impact if each of us took a stand for life 365 days a year.
Right now, we’re urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly donors) to join us before the end of October. And thanks to a generous $250,000 matching grant, your first monthly gift will be DOUBLED to help save lives and build a culture that protects the preborn.
Will you become one of the 500 today? Click here now to become a Live Action Life Defender and have your first gift doubled.
Together, we can end abortion and create a future where every child is cherished and every mother is supported.
Hospital officials say that it was a collaborative effort by NICU nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers, and managers to help the preemie pull through. “A whole team wants to see the success of all our babies and particularly one that is vulnerable,” said Kaiser Neonatologist Dr. Ashvin Sangoram during the press conference.
Finally, a week before her five-month birthday, Jesus and Gaby received news that their little girl could go home. “All that week, we just looked forward to the day,” Jesus said. By the time she was discharged in January, all of Valentina’s organs were functioning properly and she weighed a healthy 11 pounds and measured 22 inches.
“She is honestly just a little miracle,” Gaby said. “If she can fight this hard for her life and overcome so much when she is so small, there is nothing the rest of us can’t do.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
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!
Human Interest·By Bridget Sielicki
