when Jacob was 11 months old he was getting fevers and then he started with flu symptoms. I took him to his pediatrician and he gave him meds. He got better but I started noticing his belly growing and it was hard, he stopped eating and playing. I got concerned so I took him to the hospital. Another doctor saw him and diagnosed him with colitis from the flu. We went back to the hospital again because his stomach was still growing and a different doctor diagnosed him with gases. Three days later, I took him to the hospital again and his main pediatrician was there so as soon as he opened Jacob’s shirt to check his abdomen. He turned pale and sent him for an ultrasound.
Thirty minutes later, he told us that Jacob had a big tumor on his abdomen and that we had to go to the emergency room. They were doing lots of labs, CT scans, and a biopsy as soon as possible because his abdomen was growing each day.
On 01/03/24 Jacob was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma and started his first chemo that day. All his organs were so squished that all the fluids from hydration went to his lungs and started having problems breathing so he went to the PICU and he got to be intubated for a whole month.
On January 12th, his birthday, he was so sick the oxygen machine was on the max and it wasn’t doing anything for his lungs anymore so the only option was to do an emergency surgery, they had to open his abdomen and leave it like that to let out pressure.
Thank God there were no complications. The doctors and nurses were so scared because no one knew what was going to happen but he is a warrior! From there everything started getting better. Every week he went to the OR to change the wound vac dressing. He had his abdomen open for 2.5 months but that didn’t stop him. After he was extubated, and dealing with the withdrawal from all the meds he was for a month. He started getting PT and crawling, standing up, and talking again. He is my little miracle!
On March 26th it was the big day to remove the tumor and close his abdomen, it was an 8-hour surgery and everything went really well. The tumor was removed completely and he came out with a normal belly.
Our world fell upside down, there were so many things going on, and he was getting sicker every single day, but now he has been doing much better. He is a warrior!
Hope session by Robin Litrenta Photography | Facebook | Instagram