(26 Aug 2016) For the mother of a baby born in South Florida with Zika complications, the waiting game has only just begun.
Maria Fernanda Ramirez Bolivar, a native of Venezuela, said Friday during a press conference that she contracted the virus during a family vacation, adding that she didn't get diagnosed with Zika until right before she gave birth.
Her baby girl, named Micaela Milagros Mendoza, whose middle name means "miracle" in Spanish, is nothing short of that, said Ramirez Bolivar.
Born without any visible signs of microcephaly - a condition characterized by an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development, which is caused by Zika - doctors at the University of Miami Health System at Jackson Memorial Hospital are taking every precaution necessary to ensure she has the best quality of life possible.
Ramirez Bolivar said she traveled to Miami to purchase medicine not available in her country of origin when the contractions began.
Her baby was born on June 28 and remained at Holtz Children's Hospital neonatal intensive care unit for more than two weeks where she underwent a series of tests to detect the impact of the virus.
So far, they've found cerebral calcifications that they worry could lead to hearing, eyesight and other neurological problems down the road.
For her part, Ramirez Bolivar, who has three other children, said she's hopeful her baby will overcome all the roadblocks ahead, ensuring the family is ready to put up a fight against any side effects of the virus.
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