A New York boy got to go home for the first time nearly two years after his birth, writes ABC NEWS.

Nathaniel was discharged from Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York on Aug. 20 after a 419-day stay. Doctors, nurses and staff lined up to applaud Nathaniel as he left the building with his mom and dad, Sandya and Jorge Flores. To celebrate the milestone, Sandya Flores shook a golden bell as they took one last trip down the hospital hallway together.

Nathaniel and his twin brother Christian were born at 26 weeks back on Oct. 28, 2022, at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in Stony Brook, New York, but Christian died 3 days after birth. Nathaniel was later transferred to Blythedale Children’s on June 28, 2023.

Sandya Flores told “Good Morning America” she and her husband turned to in vitro fertilization to start their family. The couple learned they would be expecting twins but 17 weeks into her pregnancy, Sandya Flores said doctors told them they noticed the twins" growth was restricted and started closely monitoring her and the babies. By 26 weeks, Sandya Flores said doctors told them that the twins needed to be delivered early via cesarean section.

“He was born at 385 grams, which is under one pound, and he was 26 weeks. So his main issue, that still remains today, is prematurity of his lungs”, - Sandya Flores explained to “GMA”. The Floreses worked closely with Nathaniel’s doctors and medical team to help him overcome the odds.