Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune welcomes first baby of 2025 in Onslow County

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Timothy Basham and Hospital Corpsman Second Class Elisabeth Basham are photographed with their newborn daughter, Stella, at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune. The couple’s child is the first baby for Onslow County, North Carolina in 2025.

Story by Riley Eversull

Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune

Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune welcomed the first baby of 2025 for Onslow County, North Carolina. Stella Ray Esther Basham was born at 1:20 a.m. on January 1, 2025.

Baby Stella weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measured at 18.7 inches in length. She is the daughter of Hospital Corpsman Second Class Elisabeth Basham, a native of Olathe, Kansas, and Hospital Corpsman Third Class Timothy Basham, a native of California, Maryland. Stella’s parents are both U.S. Navy Sailors at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune (NMCCL). Stella is the second child for the couple whose first daughter who was also born at NMCCL.

The couple said Stella’s name drew inspiration from the stars with her middle name – Esther –also meaning “star.” Stella’s father said her original due date was later in January, but her early arrival is a “Hannukah surprise.”

The family thanks the teams with Labor and Delivery and the Mother Baby Unit for caring for both Stella and her mother. NMCCL congratulates the Basham Family on Stella’s birth and wishes them a safe and happy 2025!

NMCCL has provided more than 80 years of dedicated, passionate care for warfighters and beneficiaries at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.