Indian Trail 'Miracle Baby' to Appear on Oprah

PLAINFIELD, IL — Zoe Koz is a typical seventh grader at Indian Trail Middle School.

The 12-year-old loves Harry Potter movies, science and studying animals, especially snowy owls.

Zoe said she wants to be an actress when she grows up because she sometimes does dramatic things – for example, being born three months early on January 6, 2004.

The Koz family will appear on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s “Where Are they Now” program at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. She first appeared on an episode of Winfrey’s show focusing on “Miracle Babies” in October 2004 when she was 9 months old.

Zoe was the size of a Barbie doll and weighed less than a pound when she was born at Edward Hospital in Naperville. At the time, she was the third-smallest baby ever to be born and survive in the United States.

“She is truly a miracle,” said Tammy Koz, Zoe’s mom.

When her parents told her about her tough first few months, “I thought, ‘Whoa, that’s kind of cool’,” Zoe said.

Her birth was dramatic enough to catch Oprah Winfrey’s eye. The family also appeared on Good Morning America.

Zoe has grown up to be a typical kid, Tammy said. What could have been several disabilities turned into hearing aids in both ears and a shorter stature than her peers.

Overall, Zoe’s family considers itself lucky considering Zoe’s survival rate at birth was almost zero. Zoe’s mom said she knows her miracle baby will have a tougher time with some things due to her difficult early life.

Still, “so many people have it worse than we ever had it,” Tammy said. “So even when things get bad, it’s nothing compared to what other are going through.”