Rumi, the newborn at the center of a contentious surrogacy battle, underwent his first open-heart surgery Friday in Dallas as doctors treat him for a severe congenital heart condition.
Lee Budner, an attorney representing California-based Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, provided an update on the baby's condition in a statement to The Dallas Morning News on Monday.
Rumi underwent the Norwood procedure, which Budner described as “a complex palliative heart surgery.” The procedure is the first of three surgeries that children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, must undergo during childhood.
“Rumi is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff,” Budner said.
The attorney said the family does not plan to release additional updates about the newborn's medical condition.
“This is the last update on Rumi’s health that his family intends to share,” Budner said. “His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second surgery for a child with HLHS is typically performed between 4 and 6 months of age. A third procedure is performed between 18 months and 3 years.
The CDC warns that the operations do not cure the condition and that children diagnosed with HLHS can face complications throughout their lives.
“Surgical repairs for HLHS are not a cure. Infants with HLHS may have lifelong complications,” the agency states.
Rumi was born last week to surrogate McKenna West, who traveled to Texas in July. West alleges Ahmed and Gilkar wanted her to have an abortion after the baby was diagnosed with the heart condition while still in utero.
Texas prohibits almost all abortions under laws enacted in 2022, including pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The state does provide exceptions for situations in which the life or health of the patient is at risk.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, intervened in the dispute in early August, alleging that Ahmed and Gilkar wanted the pregnancy terminated following Rumi's diagnosis.
Paxton subsequently secured a Texas court order stating that Rumi must receive medical care.
The attorney general also obtained a temporary restraining order against West on Aug. 11 that prevented her from refusing medical care for the baby in Dallas or removing Rumi from the hospital's care.
The legal intervention added another layer to the already heated dispute surrounding the newborn.
Attorneys representing Ahmed and Gilkar have pushed back against Paxton's involvement, accusing the Texas attorney general of transforming the custody battle into “political theater.”
Rumi now remains in recovery following the first of the three surgeries associated with his serious heart condition, while his family has asked for privacy as his medical treatment continues.
