When Reazjhana Williams arrived at a Denver hospital in early June 2021, she was eager to welcome her long-awaited baby girl through a natural birth. But the excitement quickly turned into panic when medical staff couldn’t detect her baby’s heartbeat. What followed was a whirlwind of decisions that led to an emergency C-section—and a deeply traumatic outcome.
Just moments after being given medication to accelerate her labor, Reazjhana was rushed into surgery. In a matter of minutes, her daughter, Kyanni, was delivered. But instead of the joyful moment most mothers experience—cradling their newborn on their chest—Reazjhana was met with horror. Her baby had a long, deep laceration slashed across one side of her delicate face.
The wound was so severe that little Kyanni was immediately taken to a plastic surgeon, bypassing any initial bonding time with her mother. Thirteen stitches were required to close the gash, which ran from her cheek toward her ear.
“I tried to be understanding,” Reazjhana later said in an interview with KDVR. “But there’s just a lot I can’t make sense of—how it got to this point, and why it happened the way it did.”
Doctors later explained that Kyanni’s head had been positioned unusually close to the uterine wall, which may have contributed to the injury during the emergency procedure. Even so, the family was left devastated—not just by the physical trauma to their newborn, but by the emotional toll of a moment that was supposed to be beautiful and full of joy.
Kyanni’s father, Damarqus, spoke about the difficulty of seeing their baby in pain. “It’s upsetting. She’s not comfortable. This wasn’t what we expected at all.”
Denver Health, the hospital where the C-section was performed, released a statement acknowledging the incident: “Denver Health has been in contact with the family directly. While this is a known medical complication in emergency C-sections, our focus is always on providing care in the best interest of the mother and child. The safety and well-being of our patients is our top priority.”
Despite the hospital’s reassurance, the experience left lasting emotional scars for the family, along with the physical scar on Kyanni’s face.
In response to the unexpected medical expenses and emotional fallout, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to support the family. It has raised over $11,000 to help cover Kyanni’s treatments and future care.
As they continue to process what happened, Reazjhana and her family are doing everything they can to support their daughter’s recovery—holding onto hope that one day, the scar on her face will fade, but her strength and story will remain.