‘Miracle’ boy given 1% chance of survival at birth celebrates his 1st birthday

CHICKASAW, Ala. (WALA/Gray News) - An Alabama boy born at just 21 weeks of gestation recently celebrated his first birthday. Doctors had given him a 1% chance of survival, but he’s beating all the odds.

Herron Abney III, affectionately known as “Tripp,” was born July 12, 2023, at just 21 weeks and 3 days of gestation to parents Herron Abney II and Trashinda Gavin. His mother says she slipped on the stairs, and a couple of days later, she went into labor early, WALA reports.

Tripp was born weighing 15.3 ounces and spent five months in the neonatal intensive care unit at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. Now, he’s a happy, healthy baby who has no idea the number of lives he’s touched around him.

“I want to thank all the nurses that looked after him in the NICU, all the doctors that had to oversee him and nurse practitioners and any other specialists, everybody that had to work with him,” Gavin said.

Tripp’s family, decked out in Superman costumes, celebrated his first birthday superhero-style. They say the little boy’s story has touched every single one of them, and they hope it also inspires the community.

“I just want to tell everybody to be an advocate for your family member,” said Telisha Sims, Tripp’s aunt. “Don’t just accept the first diagnosis that the doctors give. Give your family members a chance. We’re looking at a miracle. This baby was not supposed to live... but God.”

According to Guinness World Records, Curtis Means, of Alabama, holds the record for the most premature surviving baby in the world. He was born at 21 weeks and 1 day in July 2020. Tripp, born at 21 weeks and 3 days, follows closely behind.