Chapter 62
Premature baby, or preterm baby.
An infant born before 37 weeks of gestation.
Due to not having enough time to fully grow before birth, these babies typically have weak bodies and, in many cases, face a high risk of mortality.
Joanie, also known as Da-eun, was one of those premature babies.
She was born before she could reach full term and was placed in an incubator before she could even feel the warmth of her parents’ embrace.
Fortunately, there was no tragic scenario of her lonely breaths stopping inside the incubator. However, she was never as healthy as other children.
There were times when she was bedridden with a fever for days on end, and other times when she fell into a coma due to respiratory issues.
Because she was inherently frail, young Da-eun’s childhood was filled with frequent illnesses, making her a regular visitor at the hospital as if it were her second home.
Especially around the time she was supposed to start elementary school, she was struck by a severe illness, resulting in a long-term hospital stay instead of attending school.