:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(930x656:932x658)/nicu-baby-062025-f93cbda00826439e9aa1fa85d6c1faaf.jpg?ssl=1 "Toddler Who Spent 9 Months in NICU After Weighing Less Than 2 Lbs. at Birth Goes Home")
NEED TO KNOW
- Judea “Juju” Monogan, now 14 months old, has returned home with his family after spending nine months in the NICCU
- Juju was treated at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
- He received treatment for severe infant chronic lung disease
A toddler who spent nine months in the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU) has finally returned home with his parents.
Judea “Juju” Monogan, who was born prematurely at 27 weeks, received treatment for severe infant chronic lung disease, also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, KTLA reported. He weighed just 1.5 lbs. at birth.
Juju, whose family is from Apple Valley, Calif., brought him to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) after he received care at two other hospitals. He arrived at the medical center on Sept. 4, 2024. By the time he left the facility on June 9, he weighed 22.88 pounds.
The toddler, now 14 months old, had never been home until his discharge from CHLA. His mother, Irish, stood nearby to support him through treatment, with the help of the Ronald McDonald House, according to KTLA.
“To go from thinking you would not walk out of here with your son, to then doing just that — walking out of here with your son — it is an indescribable feeling,” Irish told the news station.
“Juju was born very premature and when he came to CHLA, he suffered from severe lung disease and needed very specialized care that we provide in our NICCU,” Dr. Narayan Iyer, Juju’s neonatologist, told KTLA.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Iyer continued, “He has a lot of growth and development in front of him, but we fully expect him to play T-ball like every kid by the time he is five.”
He concluded by thanking Juju’s family for their support throughout the toddler’s treatment journey. “His recovery in part was due to their presence for him, and I applaud them.”
Juju will continue to receive outpatient care through CHLA’s Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is caused by poor lung growth and lung injury, according to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It often occurs among babies born prematurely, who need respiratory support to breathe.
