A baby who fought for his life after being hit by a bullet while in his mother’s womb has been branded a ‘miracle’ by doctors treating him in a Brazilian hospital.

 

Claudineia dos Santos Melo was almost nine months pregnant with baby Arthur when she was struck by a stray bullet, after getting caught up in the crossfire of a shootout near a slum, on June 30. She was shopping for nappies at the time.

 

According to reports, Claudineia was struck in the hip, with the bullet entering her body and hitting her unborn child.

 

The mum-to-be was rushed to hospital, where Arthur was delivered in an emergency procedure.

 

Thankfully, Claudineia survived the shocking incident, and is now said to be in a stable condition and breathing by herself. While things are a little different for baby Arthur, his survival alone is being described as ‘miraculous’.

 

Little Arthur suffered serious injuries when he was shot, including to his spine. According to the latest reports, he is in a critical condition, but the medical team treating him are extremely ‘hopeful’.

 

 

José Carlos Oliveira, a gynaecologist at Moacyr Rodrigues de Carmo Hospital, explained: “Today, he is paraplegic, but anything can happen in the life of this child.”

 

The hospital’s head surgeon, meanwhile, said that he and his team had never witnessed anything like Arthur’s case before.

 

Claudineia and Arthur’s family have been keeping a bedside vigil for both, and are keeping the faith that the tot will pull through. Among them is Arthur’s father, Klebson da Silva.

 

In an interview with the BBC, Claudineia’s brother, Leonardo, said: “I want to see the baby grown strong and walk and run alongside the family. The relatives here are all praying together.”

 

We can’t even imagine what this family is going through right now – new mum Claudineia, in particular. With an investigation now underway by local authorities, let’s hope that the family can get some justice for their precious little baby.

 

We are thinking of Arthur, and we sincerely hope that he makes a full recovery after this traumatic start to life.

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