Hello, I'm Trecia Enaya, and I have a son, Austin “Ace,” who is ventilator-dependent and a true warrior. I’m here to genuinely ask for your help through this platform for his medical needs.
Four months ago, when Ace was just seven months old, he began having recurring fevers and a cough. When his fever reached 39C, I rushed him to the hospital because deep inside, I just knew his breathing was not normal. The doctor checked his breathing and said my son only had mild pneumonia—no X-rays or lab tests, just a physical examination. We were given a prescription for antibiotics and other medicines and sent home. When we got home, I noticed he started to breathe in a way that worried me, but the doctor advised me to nebulize him, saying it was 'normal' to have trouble breathing because of his phlegm.
The next day, I noticed he didn’t pee and his breathing was even more labored, so I rushed him to the ER at 5am. The doctor said he needed to be intubated. I had second thoughts, but I knew this was for his best. He was immediately intubated because he was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. The nurses told me the doctor who saw him the day before was at fault for not examining him properly, as lab results showed an infection and his X-ray was not good. He should have been confined the day of his check-up, but the doctor insisted it was just 'mild pneumonia.' Ace was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure, secondary to high-risk pneumonia, and was admitted to the ICU.
He had a lot of X-rays, and I could only go inside the ICU if there was an X-ray. The results were very bad—his lungs collapsed, usually on the right side or sometimes on the lower left. There was a time he was cut on the side of his neck because they couldn't find a vein in his hands and feet, so they put the IV line there. They also inserted a catheter because he couldn't pee, which caused fluid to build up in his body. For feeding, he drinks milk through a nasogastric tube inserted through his nose to his stomach. Usually, this is only for patients who forget how to suck or swallow, like my son. It's very tiring to wake up every midnight to nebulize him, suction him, and feed him every four hours. But every time I look at him, I just smile because he made me realize all my sacrifice is worth it—a sacrifice that only a few know.
After a month of being intubated, they tried to extubate him, but it failed. He was extubated three times, but he couldn't handle it without the tube, so he was intubated again—it was a cycle. The reason he couldn't handle being without oxygen support is because his body became paralyzed in the lower part, and he couldn't move except for his right hand and toes. My baby has a muscle problem that affected his diaphragm, which is why he can't breathe long on his own. His muscle problems started when I rushed him to the emergency room that day. When he was extubated, he could only last 11 hours before his body became tired, so they intubated him again before it was too late.
Baby Ace couldn't handle being without oxygen support, so we decided to have a tracheostomy for long-term ventilation—a tube in his neck to help him breathe. It was the only and best option for us so that he can live. It was very painful, a procedure that changed our life completely. The doctor said he might have spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that usually triggers at 6-7 months old, and he was exactly at that age when it happened. But it wasn't confirmed since we couldn't afford the genetic test. We don't have any history of spinal atrophy on either side, so I don't know what's the cause of his sudden loss of movement.
We tried to wean his oxygen lower, but he can only breathe up to 40% oxygen. If it goes lower, his body will be exhausted, and I'm afraid it would lead to something we don't want to happen. The last time they tried to lower his oxygen, they performed CPR. So the doctors decided he will go home with a ventilator machine to help my baby breathe. We still don't have a ventilator machine, that's why we're still here in the hospital until I can find one. We will also go home with other machines and medical supplies, especially oxygen tanks and a suction machine, because that is part of his life already. For the oxygen tank, we have to refill it every day because baby Ace consumes 40% oxygen, which only lasts for a day, and the refill is already my partner’s salary. His medical expenses are very overwhelming, and the money I have is already spent for his everyday needs.
It was so sudden—at the age of 7 months, everything turned upside down. He was born normal, his milestones were normal. He could move a lot, laugh a lot... But now, he can't even speak. In those three months inside the ICU, it was a battle—not just his battle, but our battle. I was the one who was there for him, sleeping on the floor with other parents, waiting for the doctors' updates. It was draining us mentally. How I wish we could go home now, but we are lacking medical supplies and machines, which we can't go home without. We miss our home, which is our comfort. I haven't been to my home ever since my baby was admitted here. But with your help, we can finally go home after almost five months in this hospital.
This is just the beginning of our life—a challenge that we will conquer, because the real battle is when we're outside the hospital. We are not afraid! Because I know you are with me, and God is with us. On this platform and with your help, we can finally win this battle. We will finally be free from this hospital. With your help and support, my baby can go home and sleep comfortably.
The terror I felt that day is hard to describe. I had so many what-ifs and blamed myself for not trusting my instincts. I just knew something was not right, but I believed the professional. Now, my only goal is for Ace to be safe, to recover, and to live a comfortable life. Any support you can give means the world to us.
Four months ago, when Ace was just seven months old, he began having recurring fevers and a cough. When his fever reached 39C, I rushed him to the hospital because deep inside, I just knew his breathing was not normal. The doctor checked his breathing and said my son only had mild pneumonia—no X-rays or lab tests, just a physical examination. We were given a prescription for antibiotics and other medicines and sent home. When we got home, I noticed he started to breathe in a way that worried me, but the doctor advised me to nebulize him, saying it was 'normal' to have trouble breathing because of his phlegm.
The next day, I noticed he didn’t pee and his breathing was even more labored, so I rushed him to the ER at 5am. The doctor said he needed to be intubated. I had second thoughts, but I knew this was for his best. He was immediately intubated because he was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. The nurses told me the doctor who saw him the day before was at fault for not examining him properly, as lab results showed an infection and his X-ray was not good. He should have been confined the day of his check-up, but the doctor insisted it was just 'mild pneumonia.' Ace was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure, secondary to high-risk pneumonia, and was admitted to the ICU.
He had a lot of X-rays, and I could only go inside the ICU if there was an X-ray. The results were very bad—his lungs collapsed, usually on the right side or sometimes on the lower left. There was a time he was cut on the side of his neck because they couldn't find a vein in his hands and feet, so they put the IV line there. They also inserted a catheter because he couldn't pee, which caused fluid to build up in his body. For feeding, he drinks milk through a nasogastric tube inserted through his nose to his stomach. Usually, this is only for patients who forget how to suck or swallow, like my son. It's very tiring to wake up every midnight to nebulize him, suction him, and feed him every four hours. But every time I look at him, I just smile because he made me realize all my sacrifice is worth it—a sacrifice that only a few know.
After a month of being intubated, they tried to extubate him, but it failed. He was extubated three times, but he couldn't handle it without the tube, so he was intubated again—it was a cycle. The reason he couldn't handle being without oxygen support is because his body became paralyzed in the lower part, and he couldn't move except for his right hand and toes. My baby has a muscle problem that affected his diaphragm, which is why he can't breathe long on his own. His muscle problems started when I rushed him to the emergency room that day. When he was extubated, he could only last 11 hours before his body became tired, so they intubated him again before it was too late.
Baby Ace couldn't handle being without oxygen support, so we decided to have a tracheostomy for long-term ventilation—a tube in his neck to help him breathe. It was the only and best option for us so that he can live. It was very painful, a procedure that changed our life completely. The doctor said he might have spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that usually triggers at 6-7 months old, and he was exactly at that age when it happened. But it wasn't confirmed since we couldn't afford the genetic test. We don't have any history of spinal atrophy on either side, so I don't know what's the cause of his sudden loss of movement.
We tried to wean his oxygen lower, but he can only breathe up to 40% oxygen. If it goes lower, his body will be exhausted, and I'm afraid it would lead to something we don't want to happen. The last time they tried to lower his oxygen, they performed CPR. So the doctors decided he will go home with a ventilator machine to help my baby breathe. We still don't have a ventilator machine, that's why we're still here in the hospital until I can find one. We will also go home with other machines and medical supplies, especially oxygen tanks and a suction machine, because that is part of his life already. For the oxygen tank, we have to refill it every day because baby Ace consumes 40% oxygen, which only lasts for a day, and the refill is already my partner’s salary. His medical expenses are very overwhelming, and the money I have is already spent for his everyday needs.
It was so sudden—at the age of 7 months, everything turned upside down. He was born normal, his milestones were normal. He could move a lot, laugh a lot... But now, he can't even speak. In those three months inside the ICU, it was a battle—not just his battle, but our battle. I was the one who was there for him, sleeping on the floor with other parents, waiting for the doctors' updates. It was draining us mentally. How I wish we could go home now, but we are lacking medical supplies and machines, which we can't go home without. We miss our home, which is our comfort. I haven't been to my home ever since my baby was admitted here. But with your help, we can finally go home after almost five months in this hospital.
This is just the beginning of our life—a challenge that we will conquer, because the real battle is when we're outside the hospital. We are not afraid! Because I know you are with me, and God is with us. On this platform and with your help, we can finally win this battle. We will finally be free from this hospital. With your help and support, my baby can go home and sleep comfortably.
The terror I felt that day is hard to describe. I had so many what-ifs and blamed myself for not trusting my instincts. I just knew something was not right, but I believed the professional. Now, my only goal is for Ace to be safe, to recover, and to live a comfortable life. Any support you can give means the world to us.