Baby Ella's Hirschsprung's Medical Expenses
On June 3rd at 4:30am APD Senior Police Officer Aubrey Wood and his wife, Jasmine were admitted into Mission Hospital as she had gone into labor. After more than 50 hours of labor, for the health of mother and baby, it was decided to move forward with a C-Section. Finally, on June 5th, Ella Beth Wood was born measuring 20 inches and weighing 7 lbs 4oz. As first-time parents, they were very alert to every detail. They noted that Ella was not eating and was vomiting after every attempted feeding – something was wrong. After several hours, Ella still had not passed stool and continued to vomit green bile. Finally, after almost 48 hours after birth, they convinced medical staff to complete an ultrasound. This revealed issues with her intestines, which required further assessment. Ella was admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mission Hospital weighing 6 lbs and 14 oz. An intestinal biopsy was performed the following day and sent for analysis. The biopsy confirmed their fear – Hirschprungs disease.
Fortunately, they knew to be alert for abdominal anomalies. In 1993, Aubrey was also born at Mission Hospital. Shortly after birth, he exhibited similar symptoms as Ella. He was in pain, would not eat, was vomiting, and did not pass stool. After about 8 hours his parents and medical staff noticed that his abdomen was distended. Unfortunately, Aubrey's intestines ruptured requiring emergency surgery. The surgery confirmed Hirschprungs Disease, an intestinal birth defect where ganglion cells do not develop in the intestines – these are what help to push waste through intestines. Aubrey ‘s case was severe and due to the perforation, he endured numerous surgeries. He had to live with either a colostomy or ileostomy bag for nearly two years. Luckily, Aubrey's final surgery was in New York City with Dr. Alberto Peña who is a leading doctor in the Gastrointestinal field involving pediatrics. This successful surgery prevented Aubrey from a lifetime of wearing a colostomy and ileostomy bag.
Armed with the knowledge from Aubrey’s experience, they continued to monitor Ella closely. Mission staff, Aubrey and Jasmine conducted daily intestinal flushes to prevent the pressure from rupturing Ella’s intestines until she could gain enough weight to undergo surgery. At 15 days old, Ella underwent surgery to address the defects related to Hirschprungs Disease. Luckily, Ella's Hirschprungs Disease involved a small portion of the lower intestines near the rectum. While the surgery appears to have been successful, Ella will require follow up exams and, in the future, may need more procedures.
Sadly, many other children affected by Hirschprungs Disease are not as “lucky” and have much more of their intestines affected, up to Total Colonic Hirschprungs. Aubrey and Jasmine's goal is to continue to spread awareness about Hirschprungs Disease and help parents be aware of the signs of Hirschprungs Disease – after all, parents are a child's biggest advocate. Any assistance to offset the related expenses would be greatly appreciated.
