(Trinidad Express) Grief has once again gripped the family of the Caribbean’s first sextuplets as another one of the babies died yesterday.
The youngest of the six, Paeton Christopher Lee Foon Cummings, died at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Mt Hope Women’s Hospital.
Seventeen days ago, on March 30, the eldest, the first-born baby boy who was named Kaelon Nasir Lee-Foon Cummings, died from upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
A medical source told the Express that “baby six”—the youngest—developed an infection over the weekend and had to go back to the ventilator as he was unable to breathe on his own.
The baby died yesterday.
Three of the babies have been released from the hospital and are at home with their parents, while one remains in the care of the NICU.
The birth of the sextuplets to parents Petra Lee Foon, a teacher, and Kieron Cummings, a bank employee, was a first for Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.
Within the first few days of birth, five of the babies were taken off ventilators and were breathing on their own at the NICU.
However, the first-born was critically ill ever since he and his five brothers and sisters (two boys and three girls) were delivered via Caesarian section at Mt Hope Women’s Hospital on March 4.
The last born was one of the tough babies who was doing well, but he was unable to battle the adverse effects of the infection.
The Express understands that the parents will continue to receive counselling and full support of the hospital staff.
Hospital staff and family continue to pray for the well-being of the other babies—Kaylee Robyn, Persia Meleigh, Shaelon Peter, and Syrai Kayla.
