Feliz Cumpleanos Joaquin..Cheers!

They say having children changes your family forever but I could never had imagine how much the birth of my second child, Joaquin, would change ours. 

One day two winters ago, I learned I was pregnant again. We rejoice with the news that our daughter would have a sibling. Fast forward nine months from that day and almost a year ago, we were anxiously awaiting the birth of our baby boy. 

Finally on a beautiful Sunday morning I got my first contraction. We rushed to the hospital  and luckly for me, Joaquin was also anxious to be born because his birth only took three and a half hours. 

I expected the calm and relaxing transition that I experience with my daughter after her birth but things were totally different. I was able to enjoy Joaquin for a few minutes before he was rushed to the Special Care Unit at the maternity center because of breathing complications. 

Immediately after his birth, our son was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Sequence or PRS. 

PRS is a rare syndrome in which the jaw doesn’t fully develop outward and causes the tongue to lie in the back in the mouth, obstructing his breathing. He also has a cleft palate which is an effect of the PRS. 

Joaquin had a tracheostomy done at a week old and a feeding tube was placed in his belly to help with feeding. Most children with PRS are unable to drink from a bottle properly. 

All of a sudden, God had placed me in a very uncomfortable position. Not only does a parent hope that their child is born healthy but also, I am one of those people that gets dizzy at the sight of blood and wounds. It was a hard pill to swallow but I told God, If you hold my had, I am ready for this journey. I rolled up my sleeves and immediately learned how to care for my son. 

Although we loved the West Coast, it was evident we needed help. Six month ago we moved back East, to be closer to family and close friends that could provide us with the emotional and physical support we needed. 

I took a leave of absense from my engineering job to be CEO of Joaquin’s Entreprise. It consist of a team of doctors, nurses, home care providers, therapist, medical equipment and supplies providers and lots of love and patience. I am of course not alone, my daughter is Head Nurse and my husband is Chief Financial Officer.  

To say this year has been a challenge is an understatement. Regardless of how difficult the journey has been, God has been with us along the way and we rejoice that we can celebrate Joaquin's birthday. Not only are we celebrating Joaquin’s first year of life and his good health, we are also celebrating that together we have overcome many obstacles.  

I personally celebrate that I have changed many trachs without fainting once and that now, even when the road seems very dark and scary, I can choose to move forward and see the light. 

God bless! 

With love, 

Ivonne