Lea’s First Breath: A Story of Survival, Strength, and the Power of Giving
30.04.2025
When baby Lea was born prematurely, time seemed to freeze for her mother. She was tiny, fragile, and struggling for every breath. Immediately, she was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in The University Clinical Center of Kosovo. Her lungs, not yet fully developed, couldn’t sustain her life outside the womb. Machines surrounded her—delivering oxygen, tracking every heartbeat—but even the most advanced technology wasn’t enough.
Lea needed more than machines. She needed a second chance.
That second chance came in the form of Survanta—a life-saving medication that replaces the natural surfactant premature babies lack. Without surfactant, the lungs collapse, turning every breath into a battle. Thankfully, a timely donation made in March by Action for Mothers and Children (AMC), in partnership with Americares, delivered 100 bottles of Survanta worth €40,000—just in time for babies like Lea.
Inside the NICU, under the care of dedicated professionals and advanced equipment, Lea began her fight for life. Supported by oxygen systems and other medical treatment such as Survanta medication she urgently needed, her lungs slowly started to respond. Shallow gasps became steady breaths. The shrill alarms on the monitors softened. Her chest rose with strength. Day by day, her tiny body grew stronger.
“It’s something no parent is ever prepared for,” her mother Vjollca recalled, eyes brimming with tears. “Watching your child struggle to breathe is unbearable. But knowing she received the care and medication she needed—it saved her. I am forever grateful to the doctors and to AMC for giving her that chance.”
Today, Lea is thriving. She breathes on her own, reaches out with her tiny fingers, and looks at the world with wide, curious eyes. Her life is a testament to what’s possible when compassion meets timely action.
And she is not alone.
For more than a decade, AMC, in partnership with Americares, has been at the forefront of advancing neonatal care in Kosovo —providing Survanta, a life-saving treatment that has helped over 5,000 premature babies survive and thrive.
This most recent donation continues that legacy—bringing hope, healing, and survival to the country’s most vulnerable newborns.
Lea’s story is more than just one baby’s survival. It’s a powerful reminder of what compassion, partnership, and timely support can achieve.
Because every baby deserves a fighting chance—and thanks to AMC and its donors, Lea got hers.
Action for Mothers and Children remains dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of mothers and children across Kosovo. Through partnerships like the one with Americares, AMC continues to implement impactful, sustainable health programs that change lives—one tiny heartbeat at a time.
