When Connor Florio was born, he weighed 11 ounces -- about the size of a human heart.
While not given much chance to survive, the infant showed plenty of heart. When he was discharged Tuesday from a Valhalla, New York, hospital, Connor weighed 11 pounds, WCBS reported.
The miracle baby finally went home.
"The survival rate for babies under 500 grams is extremely poor, it's less than 10 percent," Dr. Dennis Davidson of Blythedale Children's Hospital of Valhalla, told WCBS. "He was 310 grams."
The boy, now nine months old, was born at 26 weeks and needed a ventilator during the first 70 days of his life, News12 Westchester reported. He also battled lung and feeding issues, but survived the ordeal. In fact, his parents said, Connor is thriving now.
"He's so strong and feisty and came out swinging and crying, and ever since day one, he has been fighting and proving everyone wrong and defying the odds," Jaimie Florio told WCBS. "We're leaving with a really healthy child which I didn't know was going to be possible. So, I'm just really grateful and relieved."
Connor spent the first five months of his life at a Westchester hospital, before transferring to the Valhalla hospital, the television station reported.
"It's bittersweet in a way because there are a lot of people that are going to miss him, but obviously our goal from the very beginning was to get him home," Davidson told News12 Westchester.
About the Author
