I Refused to Let Doctors Turn My Premature Baby’s Life Support Off

A mother’s unwavering determination to support her newborn son serves as an inspiring journey for parents with critically ill babies. Let’s read their story.

Born 4 months premature and facing an arduous battle for survival, Jibreel had to fight for his life. And his mom, Nicole Dib, was always by his side. She stood firm as she witnessed doctors relentlessly striving to sustain her newborn son over an exhaustive 5-month period in the neonatal intensive care unit. Jibreel had entered the world weighing merely 1.8 pounds (0.8 kg).

Throughout this challenging journey, Nicole and her husband, Youssef, were presented with the heart-wrenching choice to disconnect life support on 5 occasions. Despite Jibreel’s fragile condition and repeated setbacks, their limitless perseverance propelled them forward.

The 32-year-old mother and her husband were faced with the heartbreaking decision to turn off the life support system for their tiny child as his condition continued to deteriorate. But they didn’t let this happen. Nicole said, “I remember sitting in the NICU with an 838-gram baby and hearing all the beeps and life support machine keeping him alive. I look left, I look right, and look for some sort of hope and another success story.”

Jibby, a nickname for the baby, miraculously persevered and is a joyful and robust 4-year-old today. He’s triumphing over adversity, continually astonishing his parents with his remarkable progress despite his cerebral palsy diagnosis.

Now, Nicole generously shares her and Jibby’s remarkable journey to inspire and support parents whose infants are dealing with similar challenges.

Nicole reflects with a sense of pride upon her resilience in navigating the tumultuous and stressful initial 5 months of Jibby’s journey. However, she acknowledges that, in hindsight, she wishes she had embraced the support extended to her more openly and sought solace in reaching out.

“I remember running away from the counselors because I wasn’t ready to speak to them. 4 years later, I’m still recovering. I’m only just starting to fill up my own cup now that Jibby is walking and talking and going from strength to strength,” she said.

There’s no doubt that moms can do anything for their kids, even if that means enduring hard times with a smile. Along with Nicole, another mother, Savannah Combs, also faced a difficult birth. She welcomed twins with Down syndrome to the world. It wasn’t easy for her, but she wouldn’t change anything about her family.