Nash Keen from Iowa has just celebrated his first birthday and received an incredible gift along with it – a Guinness World Record for being the world’s most premature baby. Born on July 5, 2024, at exactly 21 weeks gestation, Nash weighed just 10 ounces and measured only 9 inches long, about the size of a bar of soap. He spent six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where dedicated medical staff provided round-the-clock specialized care. Despite doctors initially giving him a 0% chance of survival, Nash showed remarkable resilience and determination, steadily making progress that amazed everyone caring for him.
In January 2025, Nash was finally healthy enough to go home to Ankeny, Iowa, with his parents Mollie and Randall Keen, marking a major milestone in his incredible journey. His mom describes him as a spunky, happy baby with a big personality who is always smiling and rarely cries, lighting up every room he enters. Nash beats the previous Guinness World Record by just one day, proving that even the smallest differences can make the biggest impact. His survival represents a groundbreaking achievement in medical science and offers hope to other families facing similar challenges, showing that with advanced care and determination, even the most impossible odds can be overcome.