PHILADELPHIA — What began as an unexpected trip to the emergency room led to a premature birth at just 24 weeks, setting the stage for a battle that only a few infants manage to win.
Sharifa Jackson, a journalist with 6abc Action News in Philadelphia, faced daunting odds alongside her newborn. Now, she is sharing her daughter’s inspiring journey of survival in an interview with ABC’s Tamron Hall, bringing attention to their story on a national level.
Viewers will soon have the chance to see this compelling conversation when it airs next week in an exclusive daytime segment.
RELATED: Action News reporter Sharifa Jackson brings home baby Arya after 8-month NICU stay
During the interview, Tamron Hall asked Jackson, “When faced with a 40% survival rate, how did those early days feel?”
“I tried to focus on the positive, but the constant alarms made it difficult to ignore the potential for things to go wrong,” Jackson recalled.
It was August 2025 when Sharifa began feeling unwell.
In three hours, she was suddenly rushed to the hospital, delivering her daughter, Arya, 16 weeks early.
The little girl weighed just more than one pound.
Over 236 days, she was treated for a heart defect, severe lung disease and received multiple blood transfusions.
In April, Arya was finally discharged.
You can watch Sharifa Jackson’s entire emotional interview on the Tamron Hall show on Monday.
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