{"id":22091,"date":"2026-03-11T12:23:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T12:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/just-keep-swimming-a-premie-babys-inspiring-journey\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T21:30:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:30:04","slug":"just-keep-swimming-a-premie-babys-inspiring-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/home.guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/coping-with-illness\/just-keep-swimming-a-premie-babys-inspiring-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Just Keep Swimming\u2019: A Premie Baby\u2019s Inspiring Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Francis William Azize was born in Providence, Rhode Island, he weighed just 1 pound, 9 ounces. According to his mother Maureen Azize, the premie was 17 weeks early and doctors gave him only a 15% chance of survival. To give the family some hope, Azize\u2019s sister drew a Finding Nemo<\/em> theme on the nurses\u2019 board in Francis\u2019 room. It reminded the family of beloved Nemo <\/em>character Dory\u2019s mantra, \u201cJust keep swimming.\u201d Then Francis\u2019 uncle, Charles Kinnane, shared a video with Azize and her husband of Finding Nemo<\/em> creator Andrew Stanton\u2019s inspiring 2012 Ted Talk. The end of the Ted Talk brought the Azize family to tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born premature\u2026 I wasn\u2019t fully baked,\u201d Stanton illustrated in his Ted Talk. \u201cI was very, very sick and when the doctor took a look at this yellow kid with black teeth, he looked straight at my mom and said, \u2018He\u2019s not going to live.\u2019\u201d He continues, \u201cI was in the hospital for months. I lived. Whatever I ended up being good at, I would strive to be worthy of the second chance I was given.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeing Stanton\u2019s survivor story gave the family new hope. \u201cIt was really inspiring to hear his story and [see] how much he\u2019s amounted to,\u201d said Azize in a Facebook video recounting Francis\u2019 story.<\/p>\n

About a month later, while Francis was still fighting for his life in the NICU, Kinnane happened to be on a flight to California sitting next to none other than Andrew Stanton.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother showed him some pictures and told him about Francis and before the plane ride was over, Andrew Stanton handed my brother a piece of paper that said, \u2018To Francis William: Just Keep Swimming.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

After 113 days in the NICU, baby Francis got to go home. On June 17, 2016, the Azizes and Kinnane celebrated the now 1-year old with a video titled, \u201cJust Keep Swimming,\u201d documenting Francis\u2019 journey and featuring excerpts of Stanton\u2019s Ted Talk. The video instantly went viral, and many people shared their experiences of having premature babies using the trending hashtag #GoFrancis.<\/p>\n

Stanton shared the video on his Twitter feed, saying: \u201cCan\u2019t stop crying. Profoundly moved is an understatement. #GoFrancis.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just kept swimming throughout the NICU,\u201d Azize says in the video, \u201cAnd he continues to keep swimming and thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch Francis\u2019 viral video here:<\/p>\n

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