{"id":3763,"date":"2025-07-20T16:24:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T15:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/time.amazingstory.blog\/?p=3763"},"modified":"2025-07-20T16:24:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T15:24:30","slug":"krystal-devos-is-grateful-for-modern-medicine-after-her-newborn-was-saved-by-fish-skin-taken-from-wild-north-atlantic-cod-containing-omega-oils-and-other-natural-elements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/time.amazingstory.blog\/?p=3763","title":{"rendered":"Krystal DeVos is \u201cgrateful for modern medicine\u201d after her newborn was saved by fish skin taken from wild North Atlantic cod containing omega oils and other natural elements."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2022, Krystal DeVos gave birth to her daughter Eliana prematurely, which led to a severe neck wound
Doctors were able to successfully treat her by using fish skin and a medical-grade honey solution to heal her wound
Now 3 years old, Eliana is healthy and thriving, and her mother calls her \u201cmy little mermaid\u201d
A Texas mother is detailing her daughter\u2019s remarkable treatment journey after doctors used fish skin to heal her severe wound as a preterm baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 2022, Krystal DeVos gave birth to her daughter Eliana at just 23 weeks of gestation. She weighed only a single pound and spent 131 days in the NICU. During that time, the infant developed a deep wound on her neck following a life-threatening bacterial infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt sounds scary but it was almost like a flesh-eating disease, where her body was targeting something there in her neck,\u201d DeVos told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The infection ultimately worsened, and Eliana developed sepsis, causing some of her organs to shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sepsis is \u201ca serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection,\u201d according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include fast or shallow breathing, sweating for no clear reason, shivering and change in mental status. It can lead to septic shock and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At that point, doctors told DeVos about an unconventional treatment option for her newborn. After 86 days in the NICU, Eliana was transferred to Driscoll Children\u2019s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she was treated with numerous medications. A special treatment involved using fish skin for wound care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Vanessa Dimas, a pediatric plastic surgeon at Driscoll who treated Eliana, told the outlet that she needed to remove the buildup of dead skin tissue from her wound and cover it to help grow back healthy tissue. However, the typical approach of surgery or skin graft was too risky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe was a premature baby, the wound was very extensive, and she was pretty sick, so I did not feel like it was safe to do a surgical procedure on her,\u201d Dimas explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surgeon decided to use a medical-grade honey solution to clean out the wound and apply fish skin to cover the area. The fish skin \u2014 taken from wild North Atlantic cod \u2014 contained omega oils and other natural elements that would reportedly expedite the healing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s microscopically so close to human skin that it helps the wound start to heal,\u201d Dimas said, noting that \u201conce it basically does its job, helping the wound heal, then it sort of just melts away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fish skin treatment successfully helped Eliana heal, showing \u201cdramatic results\u201d after just three days. The wound was healed in 10 days after the fish skin was first applied and there was minimal scarring, CNN reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, DeVos said that Eliana, now 3, is a happy and energetic toddler, and her scar is hardly noticeable. She admitted that she gets emotional seeing her daughter grow and play with her Ariel doll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI call her my little mermaid,\u201d she told the outlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEliana actually has no idea,\u201d DeVos said of her daughter\u2019s fish skin treatment. \u201cOf course, as she gets older, we do want to go back and show her pictures and explain to her what has happened, because it is a part of her story and it\u2019s so unique.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Devos said she\u2019s now sharing her daughter\u2019s story in hopes of promoting fish skin as a medical aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I hope people take away is that we can be grateful for modern medicine and the power of faith,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNever be fearful to try something new. Always be open-minded and just have faith,\u201d DeVos continued. \u201cIf something sounds different or you\u2019ve never been exposed to it before, just take a chance and have a little faith. And in our case, it worked out really great.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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