LAS VEGAS -- The story of a Las Vegas woman and her daughter is a success story in the prevention and treatment of HIV. Transmission between a mother and baby was first documented in the 1980s, but today moms with HIV are having healthy babies.
It's a breakthrough the I-Team first explored two years ago with the birth of Katelyn Frenchek. The I-team had the privilege of being there for Katelyn's birth on Feb. 17, 2010. Mom and baby both appeared healthy and to everyone's relief, Katelyn's initial HIV tests were negative. Now, two years later, the news keeps getting better.
The last time 8 News NOW saw Kelly Stevens and her partner, Bill Frenchek, was for the birth of their miracle baby.
Baby Katelyn arrived without complications but not without risks. Mom Kelly is HIV positive as a result of unprotected sex. The man later served prison time for intentionally passing the AIDS virus to Kelly.
"I was young and stupid. When you're that young, you think you're invincible and it's not going to happen to me, and it happens," she said.
Since Kelly's infection more than two decades ago, the risk of transmitting the virus from mom to baby has plummeted from 70 percent in the early 1990's to near zero today.
"It's actually one of the coolest stories in HIV care," said Dr. Jerry Cade, University Medical Center. He is Kelly's doctor.
"So we actually reduced the risk of transmission from mother to child to 25 percent just by controlling the pregnancy, C-sections, minimal blood loss, things like that. Then the AZT alone reduced it further to 8 percent and then triple drug therapy reduces it to nearly zero."
The protocol requires daily doses of AZT, an anti-viral medication, during a baby's first weeks of life. Then HIV tests after two weeks and again at two months.
"I started having feelings of guilt and having to wait for Katelyn's blood results to come back and started thinking, my God what have I done, what if she has it? How could I do this to her? Just a lot of guilt feelings," Stevens said.
Bill Frenchek says guilt plagued both of them.
"That was the hardest part, I think, the waiting for the test results. She was absolutely perfect with taking all of her medicine and there weren't any problems with that, but like Kelly said, the guilt of what if," Frenchek said.
The 2-year-old, more tenacious than terrible, is HIV negative.
"We have a beautiful baby girl who's healthy," Frenchek said.
"I look forward to coming home from work everyday to see her. She makes us laugh," Stevens said.
For mom Kelly, Katelyn's arrival has had an unexpected side effect. Her virus count remains at undetectable levels, as it did during her pregnancy.
"Now, more than ever, I have to make sure that I take care of myself so that I can be around. I want to see her grow up, I want to see her have a family. She's my little miracle baby and I want to enjoy every part of her life."
Katelyn does not need to be tested again for HIV. Doctors say she's free and clear. Kelly and Bill know, one day, they may have to explain to their little girl that mommy is sick. By the time Katelyn is old enough to understand, the advances in HIV treatment, could mean a cure.
