When Aasiah entered the world at just 23 weeks and weighed barely over a pound, his parents, Rhyelle and DeVonte, weren’t sure what the future would hold. In those first uncertain days, they leaned on the one thing they felt they could do: pray—and keep the faith.
“I gotta stand on faith,” Rhyelle said. “I gotta keep believing.”
During Aasiah’s time in the NICU, doctors diagnosed him with chronic lung disease. DeVonte recalled moments when fear took over and he found himself thinking about the possibility of loss—hoping that, if it came to that, it would happen gently.
“Let him go peacefully,” DeVonte said, reflecting on what was going through his mind at the time. “And we’ve been through that before, and we didn’t want that kind of pain, and we knew there was something that could be done.”
The couple had already experienced heartbreak. Their first child, Jiyah, was also born prematurely and did not survive. This time, they approached the uncertainty differently—holding close to each other and their two young children, Meyomi, 2, and Raiyon, 4, determined that Aasiah’s story would end differently.
Still, the months were grueling. The family navigated the emotional weight of the NICU, including long nights and the strain of often being separated as they managed life outside the hospital.
“Seeing the end goal, seeing that there’s a victory at the end, I think that’s what kept me going,” DeVonte said.
For Rhyelle, the waiting was its own kind of ache—watching other families come and go while they remained, month after month, still hoping their turn would come.
“So many people come in with car seats and leave with their babies and we were there another month and then another month and another month and it was just like, ‘Man, when is it going to be our turn?’” she said. “And when it came, the feeling was indescribable.”
After spending his first 11 months in the NICU, Aasiah finally came home—just in time for his first birthday. Rhyelle said it felt like their “prayers were heard.” DeVonte, looking at what they endured as a family, said the experience left them with a powerful sense of wholeness.
“Our family just feels like we’re complete now,” he said.
Now, the couple is focused on what comes next—not only for their children, but for others walking a similar path. They hope to create an organization to support families who have lost children or who are currently living through the NICU journey. One name they’re considering is Abundance of Love, built around a simple message: families going through this are not alone.
