Source: Credit : Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies / From left: Keishera and Greg Joubert with their son Cassian; baby Cassian.
Florida parents Keishera and Greg Joubert are expressing deep gratitude to the medical team at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies after doctors performed a remarkable series of surgeries that helped save the life of their son, Cassian, who was born with Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome (CHAOS).
Baby Cassian was born with CHAOS.
During pregnancy, Cassian was diagnosed with CHAOS, an extremely rare and often fatal condition in which a thick membrane blocks the fetus’s upper airway, according to WESH 2. The condition affects roughly 1 in every 50,000 to 100,000 births. Cassian’s trachea had a thick obstruction just below his vocal cords, People noted.
“When he was first diagnosed we did what every parent would do — cry and pray,” Keishera Joubert told People in an interview published May 5. “The scientific literature on CHAOS was bleak. ‘Devastatingly fatal,’ they said, but there were a few survivors. It offered a glimmer of hope, but still we mentally prepared ourselves for the worst.”
Determined to give her son a fighting chance, Keishera underwent laparoscopic surgery at 22 weeks pregnant to remove the membrane obstructing Cassian’s airway. The procedure, performed by Dr. Emanuel Vlastos at Winnie Palmer Hospital, took place within a week of the diagnosis. However, the membrane was too thick to fully penetrate, leaving the family devastated and uncertain about what came next.
Dr. Emanuel Vlastos at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital partially delivered Cassian as part of a groundbreaking procedure.
That’s when Dr. Vlastos proposed an innovative and high-risk procedure. The plan involved partially delivering the baby by cesarean section, with only Cassian’s head and arms outside the womb while the rest of his body remained connected to the placenta. This approach would allow an ear, nose, and throat specialist enough time to perform a tracheostomy and create a safe airway before delivery was complete. Per People, the procedure occurred in June 2025, while Cassian was 25 weeks, as a catheter was installed to allow the movement of fluid out of his lungs.
“The surgeons took a picture of Cassian, and it was beautifully profound to see the baby I was carrying. My son was partially born into the world and felt air on his face!” Keishera Joubert said of the amazing procedure. “They returned him to the womb, and I remained in the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy.”
Cassian underwent his third and final surgery at 31 weeks after Keishera’s water broke unexpectedly. More than 30 doctors and nurses quickly assembled to replace his tracheostomy tube with one capable of supporting him outside the womb. A ventilator and feeding tube then took over the vital functions previously handled by the placenta.
Today, Cassian is finally home with his family. Although he still faces at least three additional surgeries before turning 2, doctors remain hopeful as they work to remove the thick membrane that continues to require ventilator support.
“Some days it does feel like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Some days, it does feel like, OK, we’ve gotten this far, but what’s next? What’s coming on the horizon? Because, you know, every day is different. You know, Cassian is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get,” Keishera Joubert said during her interview with WESH 2.
Proud dad, Greg Joubert added, “We’re not through it yet, but honestly, aren’t we all, like, in need of a good story?”
