Zayn Hajar

Those who know Zayn would describe him as pure joy. He loves to laugh and has a smile that spreads to anyone he sees.

When Angela Ampofo and Nabil Hajar found out they were expecting, they were overjoyed to become parents again.

Pregnancy was difficult and painful for Angela and her care team believed that Zayn would make an early appearance into the world.

At 24 weeks and six days’ gestation, Angela was flown from Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s in Morgantown, where she would give birth. 

“It was my third day at my new job,” Nabil remembered. “I got the call that Zayn was on his way, and Angela was being air lifted to Morgantown to give birth.”

That was only the beginning of a difficult journey for mom and baby.

Zayn was born via a Cesarean section. He lost a lost a lot of blood and was deprived of oxygen.

He weighed less than a pound and was given less than 25 percent chance of survival. Even as a premature baby, Zayn didn’t like those odds.

Zayn’s First Year

The next year of Angela and Nabil’s life was spent in and out of WVU Medicine Children’s.

“He was so fragile when he was born,” Nabil said. “We were scared to go near him.”

After his first three months of care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Zayne reached a major milestone. He was extubated and put on oxygen for the remainder of his stay. 

As he grew, Zayn was diagnosed with cerebral palsy caused by lack of oxygen to his brain at birth. It’s a condition that affects how a person moves, keeps their balance, and controls their muscles.

With a diagnosis and care plan in place, the family settled in Morgantown for the remainder of Zayn's stay.

"They were so wonderful to us,” Angela said about Zayn’s care team. “The whole team at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s was wonderful.”

The Journey Home

Eight long months in the NICU later, Zayn was able to come home to Martinsburg.

He remained on oxygen and had to return to WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s over the next several months for appointments and hospitalizations to treat his breathing problems.

Thanks to the hard work of WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s and the care of his parents, Zayn was able to breathe without oxygen when he was two.

By three years old, the family was able to use telemedicine appointments to connect with his specialists at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital in Morgantown without traveling hours each time for his visits.

Telemedicine Care Close to Home

Zane now visits the WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Pediatric Subspecialties and Telemedicine Clinic in Martinsburg for most of his visits. 

A nurse practitioner helps Zayn check in with his doctors in Morgantown while still staying close to home.

“Our whole care team is available via telemedicine now,” Angela said. “We only have to come to Morgantown once a year now.”

“As we expanded our telemedicine program, we kept Zayn in mind with the services we wanted to carry,” Abigail Crawford, FNP-BC, chief advanced practice provider for WVU Medicine Children’s in Martinsburg, said. “Because of these additions to our program, Zayn has had more than 40 telemedicine visits in Martinsburg with his team at WVU Medicine Children’s.”

When Zayn goes for telemedicine appointments, an advanced practice provider takes all his vitals, records changes, and inputs them into his file. Then doctors in Morgantown access his records and have a real-time video call with Angela and Nabil.

They discuss any concerns or changes with Zayn’s treatment with the WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital team in Morgantown without spending hours in the car.

“Telemedicine has saved us from having to drive for hours in terrible weather conditions,” Nabil said.

“Telemedicine allows for personal care,” Angela said. “We have a wonderful care team who treats us like we are all that matter.”

“At WVU Medicine Children’s, we work hard to treat all children,” Crawford said. “We realized that we need to bring care throughout the state where families reside. Establishing the telemedicine hubs strategically throughout the state means we can reduce the burden of travel, and we have the opportunity to have excellent care within their communities.”

Zayn now has access all the specialty care of WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s locally at WVU Medicine Berkeley Center thanks to the growth of the telemedicine program. 

Zayn’s Bright Future

Zayn is getting ready to start the third grade. 

He also hasn’t had a hospital stay in three years. 

“For a child only given a 25 percent chance of survival at birth, he is thriving,” Angela said. “He loves to learn and laugh, and he is so smart.”

Zayn is also continuing physical therapy for his cerebral palsy and is making significant progress.  

He keeps up with all his activities with a motorized chair and has his own communication device to help him learn and speak with others.

“Zayn is so smart,” Nabil said. “He knows his sight words, math, colors, and he is learning more every day.”

WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s telemedicine is changing the way families in West Virginia and the surrounding areas access care for their children, just like it’s changed Zayn’s life.