Tammy Gonzalez was just getting a routine ultrasound when her, and the doctors, noticed something unusual. The ultrasound showed the baby and it appeared to be blowing a bubble. In her panic, Tammy asked "Is that on me or the baby?" After further inspection, the doctors realized it was actually a mass known as a "teratoma." Teratomas are a rare and usually fatal tumour that affect roughly 1 out of every 100,000 births and are composed of a mixture of tissues. The doctors recommended that Tammy terminate the pregnancy, otherwise she could face a potential miscarriage. But Tammy was resilient and insisted that there must be something to save the baby. To her avail, there was a type of surgery known as "endoscopic surgery" which had never before been performed. With nothing but hope on the horizon, Tammy recalls saying "I want to do this" and "Let's do this." Two weeks later, Dr. Ruben Quintero performed the surgery for the first time. Tammy, the resilient mother, stayed awake during the entire procedure. For the procedure, they placed a camera into Tammy's womb, and successfully cut the tumour, using a laser, from the soft-palette of Tammy's soon-to-be daughter, Leyna. Leyna, which means "little angel" is now alive and well, thanks to this experimental procedure.
"And she’s perfectly fine. She has a tiny scar on the roof of her mouth. She talks; she drinks. She is my little miracle child,” Tammy says. There you have it, a courageous mom and a grateful daughter!"
Warning: The video contains brief moments from the medical operation, which may be discomforting to some viewers.
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