Benji's Story
Benji Castelletto, featured in our film, is one of the 26,000 babies born prematurely each year in Australia. Little Benji was born at 25 weeks weighing only 550 grams. Without state-of-the-art equipment, humidcrib, ventilator and monitor donated by Running for Premature Babies, Benji would not have survived.
Humble Beginnings
It’s no longer safe, the day has arrived
For a baby boy to be born.
Mother on the recovery table scarred and covered in blood, alone and in pain and wondering if is he alive?
Fear is over the roof, if he is alive, will he survive?
The baby is rushed into Neo natal Intensive care unit.
Mother and baby instantly separated but rest assured connected by heart.
You stand on the outside as the scene flashes by.
You pray, don’t let him die.
Tubes and machines keep him alive,
You pray for a miracle, let him survive.
The doctors they tell you, prepare for the worst.
He is far too small, there’s is only so much to do.
We provide what we can and the rest is upto him to prove.
You search for some hope and a mother’s heart will never give up.
You speak life into him and speak words of victory and courage.
For the first time you put your hands in to the incubators window and you don’t know where to touch.
He is so little and he’s all covered with tubes and wires.
You feel the tiny bit of his skin that is barely exposed.
He is almost transparent, you can see some of his inside bits.
But clever little thing, he knows your around and grabs your finger and he won’t let go.
Your life becomes the monitor, you watch every beat and react to every beep.
You watch every breath; you don’t leave your seat
You don’t leave his side, he is your blood and suddenly becomes your life
A father’s pain is hard and emotions are high but well controlled
On the other hand mother who lays broken and tears flow like a dam that has no control
Her dream has been robbed and never to return.
Her only life’s wish is to hold her new baby boy
As night starts to deepen you start to reflect
You start to question what to expect.
You try to reason; you try to make sense.
You feel joy, yet your pain is intense.
The longest day in history draws to a close
The day that stood still, the day where time froze.
Hours become days and days become weeks
Weeks become months, with lots of falls and barely any peaks
The road is long, the journey is hard
The climb is tough, but you keep pushing on.
Your family and friends are there, you’re not alone but somehow loneliness is all you know.
NICU becomes your new home and nurses, doctors and staff become your new friends.
How can one so little be so tough and brave
And defy all the odds that once looked so grey
A heart a size of a raspberry in a body built so small
He took on every challenge and answered every call
Sometimes, when he is asleep, I sit there at his side
And appreciate every second and watch him with such pride
Some angels stay there forever, and never to return
But we are the blessed ones, our baby boy is here
We will forever be proud for surviving all odds.
The smallest human you have ever seen
So tough, so strong, courage unseen.
His battle is still hard but he is here and that’s all it matters and it’s just the beginning and this journey will never end.
Thank you to an incredible hospital with a team of magnificent staff that care around the clock. Cannot imagine what life would be if Benji didn’t have the lifesaving equipment’s donated by RFPB. Your work never goes unnoticed, I appreciate it when I see Benji alive and thriving. Thank you helping our little man survive, who is happy, smiling and dancing around. We celebrate your compassion through my sweet boy every single day.
Benji inspires me to contribute back to the foundation to be able to support other families like us.
Written by a grateful mother - Hazel Vinitha
Baby- Benjamin Castelletto (Benji)
Spent 150 days at Royal for women NICU
Gestation- 25 weeks
Birth weight- 550 grams
