Surgeons Save Life Of Infant Nearly Killed In Nassau Dog Attack

A Long Island woman will be celebrating Mother's day with her four-month-old son, who just two months earlier was fighting for his life after being attacked by a pit bull.

Susan Na’anmiap, of Elmont, was carrying Nathan in a car seat when she knocked on her neighbor's door and a dog raced out of the home on March 8. The dog attacked both Na’anmiap and her infant son. Na’anmiap suffered deep injuries in her leg, but her baby suffered near-fatal injuries.

Nathan was taken to Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park for severe wounds to his head and his face. The dog's teeth had punctured and fractured his skull, causing bone fragments to push up into his brain.

“He was very sick when I first saw him,” Cohen pediatric neurosurgeon Shaun Rodgers, MD, said. “I knew we had to move quickly, because at that first moment, we could see brain material seeping onto his pillow.”

Nathan had a five-hour brain surgery to fix his fracture. Rodgers removed bone from the damaged, bleeding brain tissue and used artificial graft material to repair the covering of the brain.

“Thankfully, the damaged area occupied the right frontal lobe of the brain, which, fortunately, is a most forgiving area," Rodgers said. "To be honest, when I first saw Nathan, I wondered if he would survive. As you can see, he is a very strong little boy. We will continue to watch him, but we have every reason to expect that he will have a wonderful recovery.”

Nathan's parents returned with him to Cohen's hospital two months after his accident to thank the doctors, nurses and staff who worked to save his life.

“I can’t describe how traumatic it was to get the phone call about Nathan’s attack,” he said. “When I first saw him, I also had to wonder if he would survive," Nathan’s father, Mr. Hyacienth Na’anmiap, said. "I remember I put my hand on him, prayed, and then let him go ahead into surgery. We are so grateful to Dr. Rodgers and all the people here who took such good care of our son. We think this must be the best hospital in the United States.”

With Mother's Day approaching, Nathan's mother said she is grateful her child is safe and healthy. "It’s a thing of joy to see your children alive and well. This Mother’s Day will be the greatest day of my life.”

Image via Northwell Health