Let’s give it up for Lilia! At just 18 months old, this incredible little girl has already overcome more than most people could imagine in a lifetime. Despite the odds stacked against her, Lilia’s smile shines brighter than ever, and her determination to thrive continues to inspire everyone who hears her story.
Lilia’s journey began on February 24, 2024, when she was born at only 23 weeks gestation. Weighing just 660 grams and measuring 12 inches long, she was tiny and fragile, but her spirit was mighty. Lilia was immediately admitted to the NICU at Children’s Minnesota, where she would spend an astonishing 128 days. During those months, Lilia faced challenges that would have left many in despair, but she kept fighting with all her might.
Lilia’s early days were a blur of medical procedures, monitoring, and hope. She was a fighter from the start, showing resilience beyond her years. Her mom, Angela Noer, recalls how Lilia’s course was fairly linear, despite all the challenges. “She went home on oxygen and thickened feeds,” Angela shared. Though the road was tough, Lilia continued to make progress. In the NICU, she underwent surgery for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and dealt with three heart defects. Fortunately, one of those heart defects has been resolved, but the others, along with chronic lung disease, still pose ongoing challenges. Lilia gets sick very easily and frequently, but her unwavering strength and spirit have carried her through.
After being released from the NICU, Lilia enjoyed a period of health from July to November 2024. During this time, she was monitored by a team of specialists, including pulmonology, cardiology, and physical therapists, and she continued to grow and thrive. But in November, Lilia’s health took a turn when she was hospitalized for COVID-19. The illness was severe, and she spent 12 days in the hospital on BiPAP, a machine that helps with breathing. It was a difficult period, but Lilia’s fight wasn’t over. She was resilient, and after battling COVID, she was ready to face what came next.
From December 15 to January 17, 2025, Lilia was re-admitted to the hospital with three respiratory viruses, causing further complications. At one point, she required emergency intubation, and doctors considered placing her on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), a life support system used as a last resort. But Lilia pulled through, once again defying expectations. She came home on oxygen and a feeding tube, continuing to show the world just how strong she is.
Despite the setbacks, Lilia continued to progress. She thrived until the end of February and the beginning of March 2025, when she caught a common cold and was again placed on BiPAP. Once again, she faced the possibility of needing to be intubated, but this time, she was able to recover without that intervention. After 14 days, Lilia was back home and thriving once more, continuing to grow stronger and more resilient with each passing day.
In June, however, Lilia was faced with another setback. She contracted Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which led to another hospitalization in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Once again, she was placed on BiPAP, with doctors monitoring her closely and fearing that she might need to be intubated once more. But Lilia’s fighting spirit once again shone through, and she made it through the toughest moments, emerging stronger than ever before.
Now, as Lilia prepares to undergo the placement of a G-tube, a procedure that will help her receive proper nutrition, she continues to thrive and grow. Though her journey has been fraught with challenges, she is a testament to the power of resilience and the unbreakable spirit of a child who refuses to give up.
Lilia’s journey has been a hard one, but her story is also one of love, perseverance, and the strength of family. Angela, Lilia’s mother, has been by her daughter’s side every step of the way, offering unwavering support, love, and advocacy for her little girl. Angela’s strength and determination are evident in her words, as she shares the depth of her pride for Lilia’s resilience: “She’s thriving and growing so much,” Angela said. “It’s incredible to watch her fight and push through every obstacle.”
Lilia’s story is a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is always hope. This little girl, who has faced so many health battles in her short life, is still smiling, still fighting, and still bringing light into the lives of those who love her. Her journey is far from over, but each step forward is a victory, and each challenge she overcomes is a testament to the love, strength, and faith that have carried her through.
As Lilia continues to face health challenges and take on new milestones, let’s all take a moment to send our love and support to this incredible little girl and her family. Let’s lift them up in our prayers, hoping for continued strength, healing, and the bright future that awaits Lilia. Her journey is one of miracles, and with the love of her family and the support of her community, we know that there are many more victories ahead.
The Beautiful Courage of a Little Boy Named Ollie, Who Entered the World With a Story Written on His Face and a Bravery That Would One Day Rewrite the Meaning of Strength d77b
When baby Ollie Trezise arrived in the world, the room fell into the kind of hush that comes when something unexpected touches the edges of a moment. There, cradled in the soft glow of hospital lights, was a newborn whose nose curved forward in a delicate arc that seemed almost impossible for someone so tiny. The nickname came quickly—“Pinocchio”—an offhand remark whispered by observers who didn’t yet understand that the small child in front of them carried a story far deeper than an unusual appearance. For behind that outward growth was a truth that would shape not only the months ahead, but the very definition of beauty, resilience, and what it means to be fearlessly, unapologetically alive.
Doctors explained the condition gently to his mother, their voices blending science with empathy. Ollie had been born with encephalocele, a rare and serious defect where part of the brain pushes through an opening in the skull, creating a visible sac beneath the skin. What some saw as an oddity was instead a quiet miracle — a child whose brain had grown outward rather than inward, whose life from the very beginning demanded courage far beyond his size. As Ollie lay peacefully in his mother’s arms, unaware of the future he would soon begin to navigate, his story had already taken root in the hearts of everyone who encountered him.
The early months of his life unfolded like a soft, fragile tapestry. There were the curious glances from strangers who didn’t know better, the whispered comments in grocery store aisles, the lingering looks that made his mother hold him just a bit closer. Each day revealed to her the dual nature of parenting a child like Ollie — the fierce, unbreakable love and the quiet, lingering ache of wanting to shield him from a world that sometimes reacts before it understands. Yet through it all, baby Ollie radiated something bright and unmistakable. Even before he could speak, before he could walk or reach out with small fingertips, he carried a light that refused to dim in the face of misunderstanding.
Often, the greatest battles take place in silence, and for Ollie, those battles were waged inside operating rooms where surgeons worked with both precision and tenderness. The goal was never to alter who he was or change the unique features that made him Ollie. The goal was survival — to help him breathe more easily, to relieve pressure, to give him the chance to grow into the boy he was always meant to become. Every operation was a balancing act: hope on one side, risk on the other, with a team of experts working tirelessly to ensure that the little boy on the table would continue to live, laugh, and eventually run freely through the world.
His mother sat through those long surgical hours holding onto faith the way a drowning person clings to a life raft. She learned the steady rhythm of medical updates, the quiet pacing of hospital corridors, the sound of machines that marked each fragile breath. There were days when exhaustion threatened to pull her under, but there was always Ollie — her reason, her anchor, her reminder that extraordinary things are often wrapped in the most unexpected packages. When he opened his eyes after each procedure, blinking slowly as if waking from an impossibly deep dream, it felt like witnessing a sunrise breaking through the darkest of nights.
As Ollie grew older, something remarkable began to unfold. The boy who once faced stares blossomed into a wellspring of joy, radiating confidence that couldn’t be dimmed. His smile — wide, free, and impossibly warm — carried an unspoken message: he was not defined by the condition he had been born with, nor by the judgments of others. He was defined by his courage, by the unshakable resilience stitched into the fabric of his existence, by the way he faced a world that had once questioned him and showed it how to love more deeply, more gently, and more wisely.
Children like Ollie have a way of holding up a mirror to society, revealing not just how we see them, but how we see ourselves. They ask us—without words—to reconsider our assumptions, to shift our gaze from perfection toward authenticity, from surface judgments toward the soul beneath. And in this shift, something transformative happens. Beauty becomes less about symmetry and more about spirit, less about flawless lines and more about the bravery it takes to wear oneself openly in a world quick to critique.
Ollie’s journey is not a tale of tragedy, nor is it a story centered on pity. It is a celebration — of life, of resilience, of the kind of strength that grows quietly, like a seed pushing through soil toward the sun. Every challenge he has faced becomes a chapter in a larger narrative, one that reminds us that hardship does not diminish a person; it shapes them into someone capable of inspiring the world around them. His presence, his laughter, his curious eyes that sparkle even before dawn, become proof that true beauty has always lived in defiance of perfection, thriving instead in the raw, unfiltered truth of being human.
Today, Ollie walks into rooms with a confidence that silences any lingering whispers. His smile lights up hallways. His spirit reaches people before his words ever do. He plays, learns, explores, dreams — just like any other child — but with an added brilliance born from surviving what many never will. Those who once stared now find themselves smiling back. Those who once questioned now admire. And those who encounter his story often carry away a piece of its message tucked gently into their own hearts.
In a world increasingly obsessed with flawless images, Ollie stands as a reminder that the most extraordinary beauty comes from souls who have weathered storms and kept shining. He has not only redefined what it means to be brave — he has reimagined what it means to truly see. Through him, we are reminded that resilience is radiant, that love is transformative, and that sometimes, the most remarkable miracles arrive wearing faces we never expected but hearts we will never forget.
