Uber Driver Takes Mom on Surprise Shopping Spree for Newborn After Picking Her Up at NICU

Ihus told Fox News that her son has a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which she described as "a hole in the diaphragm that allows the organ in the abdomen to move into the chest cavity." It causes small lungs, she explained, because it limits the space for them to grow. 

The diagnosis was shocking when the mom first learned about in July, before her son was even born.

“The nurses actually told me not to Google anything when I found out because they knew the survival rates were not very good,” she said.

Ihus flew to Florida to give birth to her baby, where she was told that the hospital is renowned for treating his condition. Nationally, the survival rate for babies born with CDH is between 60 and 70%, according to WFTS -- but at Johns Hopkins, it's about 90%. John Henry has been receiving treatment at the hospital ever since his birth in September, and it seems the family will be staying in Florida for some time.

It was for this reason that she first hailed an Uber, to take her to a nearby store. She wanted to buy him some clothes at the consignment shop Rhea Lana’s, and Smith soon stopped to pick her up. 

“I hopped in the car and I think she could tell I wasn’t having the best day,” Ihus said. Her son had just finished a "terrifying" medical procedure that required doctors to flip him on his stomach for the first time. But in the end, it went well -- her son was finally able to breathe without the help of a machine.

“I was kind of explaining what was going on that day,” she told Fox News, recalling that she was crying as she shared her story with Smith. “And I let her know my mom was out of town."

“I thought to myself, Oh gosh, this is her first child and she is having to go through all this," Smith later shared. "It’s so sad."

Ten minutes after Ihus went inside the store, Smith joined her and said she would stay with her as she picked out clothes for John Henry.

“She touched my heart,” Smith told WFTS. “I went in and I found her and said, ‘This is a day that should be fun for you. And you shouldn’t be alone. Let’s shop.'”

But it was also incredibly emotional for Ihus, who admits that she "cried a lot" as they shopped.

Smith wasn't done her good deeds for the day, though: She gave the new mom 30 new pieces of clothing for her son.

“She gave me a hug and started to cry,” Smith told Fox News. “I wanted to cry. Honestly, I was just happy to do something nice for her because she was having a rough day.”

“They asked me how long I’ve known her,” she continued, according to WFTS. “I said, ‘Oh, about 15 minutes.’”

“It was amazing. I was like, ‘Are you serious?’" Ihus recalled. "I didn’t expect anything at all. I just needed to tell someone what was going on, and there she is -- she just showed up and offered to buy clothing. It was amazing."

“It definitely brightened my day because I was definitely not in the mood to go shopping, and she made it fun," she added.

The two women exchanged contact information and parted as friends. But Wednesday, they met up again -- and Smith was finally able to meet the little man Ihus had told her so much about in the car that day. 

“He’s so beautiful,” she shared, after visiting John Henry in the hospital.

Smith was hopeful that the little fighter will make a full recovery and that he'll be “running circles around his mother in no time." 

“He’s going to be her superhero,” she said.

In the meantime, a GoFundMe account has been created to help pay for John Henry's medical expenses, as friends and family continue to rally around Ihus and her baby boy.