Christmas is the season of hope, love and joy. To us, Christmas is also about Miracles. Our daughter was born on Christmas, at 27 weeks of gestation and she weighed just one pound. Her skin was as thin as rice paper. Her lungs were not completely developed and she required the assistance of a ventilator to help her breathe. She was eventually transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Ahna received a tracheostomy at 3mos old and we were discharged around 5mos. The tracheostomy was her “airway,” and if it became dislodged or plugged, there were seconds before an emergency situation occurred. A trached child cannot be heard when laughing, cooing, crying, coughing….it’s as if the mute button is on. They need frequent suctioning, the area needs cleaned 2x/day the trach changed 2x / week, sterilized, it’s a big deal…. it can harbor infection, etc. A trached child requires nursing care, in the home, 24 hours a day.
In 2016, Ahna received a Single Stage Laryngeal Reconstruction. It was approximately a 5.5 procedure. A section of rib cartilage was spliced into her airway and they created an anterior and posterior wall into her airway so the trach could be removed. We spent 5 weeks on the PICU and Complex Airway floor. She has had a surgical procedure, approximately every 3-6mos to check the integrity of her airway. She had a 2nd reconstruction in 2019. To date, our almost 6yo has had over 55 surgical procedures. This process will continue, until she has quit growing.
We are asking for support for our new Critical Care Building. This state of the art facility will be our second home as Ahna, and many kids like her, come to our great Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for treatment and hope. People from all over the world come to Cincinnati Children’s for these Specialists!!!!
We would be so grateful if you help us give back to this amazing facility that we are so blessed to have.