Jeremiah DeMesa was getting a few rays of sun with his newest daughter when Tripler Army Fisher House Manager Kevin Valera asked if he could take a quick photo of them together. The sun's rays passed over Jeremiah and Mirathea Jae Ocampo DeMesa as Kevin snapped the image in May 2025, less than a month after Mirathea's birth.
Jeremiah and his wife, Andrea, came to Tripler on short notice from Guam. Jeremiah, an infantryman in the Guam National Guard, and Andrea had two healthy daughters already, Precious Faye and Gianne Shaye. But after two other, failed pregnancies, doctors wanted to keep a firm eye on this one.
So, in December 2024, they found that Andrea's blood pressure was elevated and recommended that the couple take the seven-hour flight to Hawaii for more advanced medical care.
But there was a hiccup. They arrived in December and needed to find somewhere to stay until their baby came in April.
"I just want to thank the Fisher House for having us. They have been a big help because renting or staying in a hotel is very pricey. Actually, before they called us, we were staying in a hotel for 10 days."
That 10-day stay quickly became unaffordable, and so Jeremiah was close to signing a contract for a short-term rental when he received an email saying that a room was available at the Fisher House, instead.
"That's why we are very, very grateful for Fisher House."
The DeMesas were glad they made the trip when the baby suddenly needed an emergency C-section.
"Tripler was really good because my wife wasn't supposed to deliver until April, but our last visit, the doctor said my wife's BP was elevated, so they're like, we're going to induce you," Jeremiah said. "So good thing that happened too, because my daughter came out emergency C-section as well."
Despite all the drama to get her into the world, Mirathea was born healthy and is growing fast, doubling her birth length in just four months. And the family made new friends from Guam in the Fisher House.
"There were four families there from Guam that we met in the house," Jeremiah said. "When we got back here, to the island, we all had a party."
One of the other families from Guam at the house was, by coincidence, an officer from Jeremiah's unit who was also having a baby. Theirs came just one month before Mirathea.
Now both families are back on Guam with their young children. And Mirathea's older sisters, Precious and Gianne, are helping their parents care for the infant.
