At 40, Natasha Sabbah didn’t think she could have any more children. But then she learned something surprising: a baby was on his way.
Being pregnant at age 40, Sabbah knew there could be challenges. Among them was an increased risk of health conditions for her and the baby.
Shortly before giving birth, Sabbah learned that there was a possibility that her baby may have Down syndrome. That diagnosis was confirmed when her son was born at Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital in December 2021.
What Sabbah remembers from his birth is that “He had all his fingers, his eyes were bright when he looked at me, and he smiled at me. It was beautiful.”
She named him Kamisoko, a Nigerian name that means “praise.”
“I'm big on names and meanings, and I just really want the name to represent who they are and what's behind them,” Sabbah said. “We didn’t think we could get pregnant naturally, and yet here comes Kamisoko. That was my praise. Praising God for when it was bad, and when it was good – a bunch of praise.”
She didn’t yet know how significant that name choice would turn out to be.
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‘What is wrong with my baby?’
In October 2022, 6-month-old Kamisoko (affectionately called “Kami”) started having cold-like symptoms. At first, Sabbah treated him at home by using a humidifier and giving him extra cuddles.
“But one night, he got really, really sick,” Sabbah said. “I was like, ‘What is wrong with my baby?’”
At a nearby emergency room not affiliated with Novant Health, a doctor ran tests, then sent the pair home as he waited for results. But Sabbah knew something was wrong.
“I could tell there was something he wasn’t telling me,” Sabbah said. “When I got home, he called me every 30 minutes. ‘How is he doing? Is he OK?’”
Then, the doctor called a final time.
“He said, ‘I need you to come back, but don’t come back [here]. I need you to go over to Hemby Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Bell is waiting for you,’” Sabbah said.
Sabbah didn’t know who Bell was — and wasn’t eager to go back to a hospital after their late night. But the doctor insisted it was important, so Sabbah took Kami in.
‘My stomach just fell’
Dr. Jessica Bell is a pediatric oncologist and lead physician at the St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital. When she meets parents for the first time, it’s because their child’s blood work, imaging or symptoms need further evaluation for a possible blood disorder or sometimes cancer.
In these difficult conversations, Bell respects parents by being honest about what she knows, and what they still need to find out.
Bell told Sabbah that she suspected Kami had a blood cancer.
“Instantly, my stomach drew up like it was in a vacuum suction bag or something, because I know what that is,” Sabbah said. “My younger sister passed away in September 1999 from leukemia. She and I are a year apart, so here I am going through the same thing that my mama went through.”
Sabbah’s reaction was typical, Bell said, adding that parents are “basically in pain from the moment you tell them their child has cancer – it’s like I’m hitting them over the head with a 4x4. It's almost physically traumatic to them.” Some parents get angry. Some even throw up. Bell stays steady, comforting them, then telling them what comes next.
Although they still needed a pathology report and a diagnostic test to confirm his diagnosis, Bell told Sabbah that Kami needed to be admitted to the hospital. A room was being prepared for him as they spoke.
“Everything started going so fast,” Sabbah said. “I didn't get a chance to breathe. You're just stuck, watching things happen, and you don't get a chance to respond emotionally — one of those things where you push to go through it.”
‘I remembered my baby’s name’
In the hospital room, as nurses began prepping her 6-month-old baby for the possibility of chemotherapy, Sabbah had a realization.