Emily Fernandez Grieves The Passing Of Her Baby Boy
“Little Women: Atlanta” star Emily Fernandez is grieving the loss of her 3-month-old son, who passed away on August 5.
Emily and her boyfriend, Lontel, welcomed Lontel Jahnar Johnson Jr. (JJ) on April 27. He was born with multiple health conditions including seizures and blood around his brain.
Speaking exclusively to People, Emily detailed their difficult three-month battle to save her son’s life.
To say the last three months have been the most difficult of my life is the understatement of the century. Lontel Jahnar Johnson Jr. (JJ), my second born, was a prayer answered. He was born on April 27, 2016, and he was the perfect tiny package. My baby was having seizures in utero and doctors believe there was a problem with the placenta. Little people pregnancies are high risk and being pregnant with a little person is even more dangerous. JJ wasn’t receiving enough oxygen and he was born with blood around his brain.
But we believed he’d make it because he was just a baby. We believed there was a fighting chance. Multiple surgeries were performed – but after finding out that he couldn’t hear, couldn’t see and was still having seizures with a dropping heart rate – we realized that he was living his life in fear,” she shared. “He would panic every time a nurse would come to change his diaper because he couldn’t hear or see them. Not to mention all the surgeries he had to undergo in that state of constant fear. It was heartbreaking for me to see him suffer.
I fought for his life – I demanded that he have multiple tests run. I wanted to be sure that I did everything in my power to save him and keep him. I’m so grateful to the staff at Medical City in Dallas for everything they did for my baby. If he would’ve been average height, this would’ve still happened. Everything was due to his brain damage.
JJ passed on Aug. 5 – three short months after I brought him into the world. The only thing that brings me any semblance of peace is knowing that he’s no longer scared and he’s no longer suffering,” the statement continued. “I fought to keep him alive, but I had to think about how scared he had to be waking up every morning and living in darkness. We took him off the ventilator, and he left us within two hours.
After JJ’s passing, Emily memorialized her son by sharing multiple family photos with him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIv4LJLhe_L/?taken-by=rightcheeklg
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIv4fEahVnv/?taken-by=rightcheeklg
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIv77S0hJvC/?taken-by=rightcheeklg
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIyfYc0hgWC/?taken-by=rightcheeklg
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI9RMX2h4ix/?taken-by=rightcheeklg
My heart aches for Emily.
Please keep her and her family in prayer during this difficult time.
