AFTER 320 days, more than 20 operations and life-saving procedures and a terrifying moment when he stopped breathing in his father’s arms, a little Helensburgh boy is finally leaving hospital.

Beautiful River Stephen Camile Mbunzama will spend his first birthday at home, in a milestone his mum and dad worried they may never see.

River was born in the Royal Alexandria Hospital on August 26, 2023 and while initially everything seemed fine, he began experiencing problems with breathing and feeding in the early hours of the next day.

(Image: NHSGGC)

He was transferred to the Royal Hospital for Children on Glasgow’s Southside, where doctors discovered he had an atrial septal defect in his heart and two small heart holes – although neither of those were the reason for his long hospital stay.

River has tracheobronchomalacia (TBM), a rare condition where the windpipe tissue is unusually soft and weak. He has a laryngeal cleft, adding to the complexity of his situation. 

READ NEXT: £300k boost for Glasgow research into low uptake of cervical cancer screening tests

The little boy spent 11 months in RCH, including multiple months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

River’s mum and dad, Roseann and Rudy, are sharing their son’s story as a tribute both to his fighting spirit, and to the dedicated hospital teams who cared for him, including gastroenterology, surgical, respiratory and cardiology.

(Image: NHSGGC)

There were times, admits Roseann, 29, when the last year felt like “one step forward and ten steps back.”

“I remember when River had his first proper bath, out of NICU and into the special baby care unit,” she says.

“The little things were massive to us.

“Unfortunately, he caught a virus, so we ended up back in NICU days later.”

(Image: NHSGGC)

She recalls, smiling: “Soon after, we had another positive milestone moment - we saw River without any respiratory support for the first time.

“Seeing his full face again was beautiful.”

River with his parents, Rudy and RoseannRiver with his parents, Rudy and Roseann (Image: NHSGGC)

However, the joy was short-lived.

“Following this, he went on to have severe choking episodes and at one point stopped breathing in Rudy’s arms,” says Roseann.

“A terrifying emergency intubation followed to save his life and he ended up back on a ventilator in PICU.”

Things continued to get worse for the family. A surgical procedure found that several parts of River’s small intestine were dead, and had to be cut out.

“We had the dreaded chat with the doctors that he may not make it through the night following this surgery,” says Roseann.

“River then went to theatre every 48hrs until the following Saturday. In total they removed 57cms of intestine, and put in a new feeding tube.”

READ NEXT: Tragedy is coming to River City as TWO characters' lives hang in the balance

Roseann and Rudy were prepared for a long recovery, as River had lost all his core strength and head control.

With the help of the physiotherapy and occupational therapy team, they got a plan in place to help River regain his strength.

The months ahead were full of more set backs including sedation, more ventilation and PICU stints. But, after perseverance and patience, miracle baby River has defied the odds, say his proud parents.

Little River has finally made it homeLittle River has finally made it home (Image: NHSGGC)

“On July 11, we made our first journey home as a family,” beams Roseann. “It all feels so strange. We have noticed a huge leap in River’s development already.”

She adds: “He has a long journey ahead of him.

"But at the end of the day after all the trauma, pain, tears, stress and heartbreak, we finally have our boy home with us, where he belongs.”