Amazing story: Read the emotional letter of thanks from mom
From Jones Memorial Hospital, pictured are Bryar with family and Jones Memorial Maternity staff
On Wednesday, February 28, on the second floor of the Jones Memorial Hospital, the OB team, administrators and nurses gathered to celebrate the extraordinary gift given by the family of Bryar James Collins. His family raised money by asking for birthday donations to the hospital in lieu of presents for their son’s first birthday, totaling $1,400. Watching little Bryar run through the halls on his toddler feet was an amazing sight – because the true gift in this story is him.
A Routine Procedure Takes A Turn
His life is by all accounts is a miracle. On February 2, 2023, Bryar’s mom, Hilary Briggs, came to Jones Memorial for her induction. After a routine epidural, the procedure took a turn and quickly became an emergency situation when the baby’s umbilical cord detached from the placenta. Bryar lost over 70% of his blood and went without oxygen for 17 minutes. After an emergency c-section, Dr. Kaye and Dr. Kassas started chest compressions on the baby while Dr. Lanphere continued to care for Hilary. The baby was without a heartbeat for 9 minutes before the team was able to restart his tiny heart. Dr. Kassas remembers the tears pouring from Nurse Alycia Frost as she performed chest compressions on the tiny baby, while Nurse Cierra Dean continued to keep everyone supplied and lines of communication clear.
Dr. Kassas remembered back to that day, saying, “Everyone knew what they had to do and did it flawlessly.” He went on to praise the hospital team stating, “If we hadn’t had one piece, from the team to the equipment to the supplies to the bloodbank, it wouldn’t have worked. Our team was ready.” He explained that this is a very rare complication that has never been seen at Jones but he was proud of the nurses and staff that came together that day to work on little Bryar with the help of some incredible outside support. “He defied all medical logic. The Lord was with him.”
Our Local Miracle
Today, Bryar is a year old and thriving. He is walking already and is a beloved little brother to his big sister, Hadley. Miraculously, Bryar has no lasting complications from his extraordinary birth. His mom and dad, Hilary & Bryan are grateful to the doctors and staff at Jones for their love and dedication.
“[Our] son is a true miracle baby, and he would not be here without Jones and the staff working that day. He had an 8 day stay in the NICU at Oieshi. EVERY single day Dr. Kaye checked in on him and me, sometimes 2, 3, 4 times a day. She is an amazing woman, and we are so blessed to have her in our community. Along with Lanphere and Kassas, both of which still check in on us and ask for updates on Bryar.”
Read the full letter from Bryar’s mother to the staff at Jones Memorial:
Paying it Forward
The hospital is thankful for the family’s donation to the Dr. F Clifton Miller Trust. Those funds are used to advance women’s & children’s health services. The family will receive a plaque on the wall outside of the birthing unit. If you are interested in learning more about donating to the Miller Fund, please contact Jodi Pearson at jodi_pearson@urmc.rochester.edu. Plaque donations start at $250.
A Critical Component
About 1 in every 7 people that enter a local hospital will need blood. The need is constant – about every 2 seconds in the US and over 41,000 donations daily. Jones Memorial Hospital works with Community Blood Bank to support a community blood bank in Western NY so every donation received stays in our local community.
Blood donors can potentially save up to 3 lives with their donation. Since 1966, Community Blood Bank has been distributing blood supplies to 19 area hospitals in NY and PA. For more information on the next blood drive or to make an appointment, please visit: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/jones-memorial-hospital/news-events/current-events/blood-drives.aspx
