Mother and newborn daughter make it home

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Gena Armstrong
  • Air Force News Det 12
"We weren't sure if she was going to live or not because she's pretty close to the edge of viability," said Jessica Hegoas, looking back on the last four months of her life with a mix of emotions. "It's been a long time of worrying."

During that time, Jessica and her husband Staff Sgt. Brandon Hegoas made daily trips between Misawa Air Base, Japan, and the Aomori Prefecture Hospital to visit their newborn daughter Maya.

Early into her pregnancy, there was a complication that threatened Jessica and her unborn child's lives. In order to save them, Jessica prematurely gave birth to Maya at only 25 weeks development; 15 weeks early of a normal gestation period.

"It felt really surreal at first. I didn't really believe that this was happening until I saw her," said the new mother. "When I was able to see her she was just very small and hooked up to a lot of wires and tubes."

That was only the first step in the long struggle. Maya's premature status required special attention that wasn't available at Misawa. For four months Maya stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Aomori about an hour away from Misawa. 

Sergeant  Hegoas was placed on medical orders so he and his wife could freely visit Maya every day. But with a fast approaching date to return to the United States, a decision had to be made about where to take Maya, or if she could even be transported at all. Physicians from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, got together to plan Maya's move.

"In a situation like this where we don't really know the patient, we have to communicate really well with the physicians at the Japanese hospital to get a really good, solid clinical history," said Lt. Col. Lindy Winter, director of Neonatology at Kadena. "We have to make sure that we understand exactly what's going on with her and what her needs are for inflight."

The Misawa 35th Medical Group received daily updates on Maya's condition from the Japanese doctors in Aomori, while the Kadena crew prepared the airlift to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. All four organizations needed to work closely to make the medical evacuation a success.

"The military has been a major, major help," said Mrs. Hegoas. Throughout the unfavorable circumstances, Jessica had nothing but praise for all those involved. "They've been amazing and just the support that we have all over the world... I feel really safe that she's in good hands," she said.

The C-17 left Aomori with mom and baby on the evening of May 16, but it won't be the last time the Hegoas family is in Japan. When Maya is old enough, Mrs. Hegoas intends to bring her back to Aomori to meet the Japanese doctors who have taken care of her for so long.

"The Aomori Prefecture Hospital is amazing," said Mrs. Hegoas. "They're the reasons that she's alive. So I am truly grateful that they were there for us."