The Power of Extraordinary

Bryce was born at 24 wks but had no fluid in the womb from 19 wks on. As a result, his lungs were severely underdeveloped and needed mechanical ventilation since birth and ultimately was diagnosed with severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD). At around 7 mos., Bryce needed several surgeries including a tracheostomy. Not too long after, his condition started to decline. He started to get very sick and doctors were starting to say that there was nothing more they could do for him. As time passed, doctors started to accept lower O2 saturation ranges which ultimately affected his other organs and body systems. I felt helpless, scared and upset and so I reached out to a support group on Facebook asking for prayers. What happened next gave me goosebumps. I couldn’t believe the instant reception I received. A string of mothers sending prayers and telling me to go to Nationwide Children’s BPD unit. In Ohio? But we are in California?!? That is 2,000 miles away. I didn’t understand how we would even make the transport given his condition. One mother in particular went on further and private messaged me with explicit information on who to contact and how her story was similar. It was extraordinary. I was floored by the support and help. I immediately followed the advice to get things in motion to get Bryce the critical help he needed to get over the hurdle to be stable enough for transport. After battling many aspects like fighting the CA hospital attendings to contact Nationwide as a consulting body, to follow Nationwide’s ventilation protocol, and cooperate to help get insurance approval, we eventually were able to find our window of opportunity and make the transfer happen. We were admitted to Nationwide’s BPD Unit at C4A, the world’s most established BPD unit. Finally Bryce was able to breathe easier because of extraordinary people leading the way in BPD treatment. They were courageous, bold and confident enough to go against the grain and pave the way in establishing proper ventilation protocols for BPD babies in ways that run completely opposite from most of the country and traditional medical teaching. These very methods have saved my son’s life. Our chapter at Nationwide was a lengthy one at approx. 2 yrs and a few months and still counting, but we wouldn’t change anything for the world. The C4A team in the BPD Unit are extraordinary pioneers that are paving the way for the rest of the world to learn that BPD babies can survive this. We are looking to return to CA before the end of year. What a gift! Extraordinary begets extraordinary. That includes Bryce!
https://flutter.nationwidechildrens.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/bryce-1-e1549381586670.jpg
https://flutter.nationwidechildrens.org/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/4-ede9f44fbfc12d4ad796078917b471d6/2018/12/IMG_0900.jpg
https://flutter.nationwidechildrens.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/bryce2-e1549381551634.jpg

Bryce was born at 24 wks but had no fluid in the womb from 19 wks on. As a result, his lungs were severely underdeveloped and needed mechanical ventilation since birth and ultimately was diagnosed with severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD). At around 7 mos., Bryce needed several surgeries including a tracheostomy. Not too long after, his condition started to decline. He started to get very sick and doctors were starting to say that there was nothing more they could do for him. As time passed, doctors started to accept lower O2 saturation ranges which ultimately affected his other organs and body systems. I felt helpless, scared and upset and so I reached out to a support group on Facebook asking for prayers. What happened next gave me goosebumps. I couldn’t believe the instant reception I received. A string of mothers sending prayers and telling me to go to Nationwide Children’s BPD unit. In Ohio? But we are in California?!? That is 2,000 miles away. I didn’t understand how we would even make the transport given his condition. One mother in particular went on further and private messaged me with explicit information on who to contact and how her story was similar. It was extraordinary. I was floored by the support and help. I immediately followed the advice to get things in motion to get Bryce the critical help he needed to get over the hurdle to be stable enough for transport. After battling many aspects like fighting the CA hospital attendings to contact Nationwide as a consulting body, to follow Nationwide’s ventilation protocol, and cooperate to help get insurance approval, we eventually were able to find our window of opportunity and make the transfer happen. We were admitted to Nationwide’s BPD Unit at C4A, the world’s most established BPD unit. Finally Bryce was able to breathe easier because of extraordinary people leading the way in BPD treatment. They were courageous, bold and confident enough to go against the grain and pave the way in establishing proper ventilation protocols for BPD babies in ways that run completely opposite from most of the country and traditional medical teaching. These very methods have saved my son’s life. Our chapter at Nationwide was a lengthy one at approx. 2 yrs and a few months and still counting, but we wouldn’t change anything for the world. The C4A team in the BPD Unit are extraordinary pioneers that are paving the way for the rest of the world to learn that BPD babies can survive this. We are looking to return to CA before the end of year. What a gift! Extraordinary begets extraordinary. That includes Bryce!

Share Bryce's Story

Comments

More Stories

  • Logan S.

    Age: 18 Years | Meniscus Injuries

  • Mila J.

    Age: 4 Years | Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

  • Evan D.

    Age: 13 Years | Double Outlet Right Ventricle

  • Gavin K.

    Age: 14 Years | Metabolic Disorder

  • Garrett .

    Drug Resistant Epilepsy

  • EmmeClaire M.

    Cerebral Palsy