Marquitos Will Triumph Thanks to the Care of Many

At five months old, Marcos Sánchez Méndez is not yet aware that most of his short life has been spent at the Eliseo Noel Caamaño Pediatric Hospital. He has been there since he was rushed in after an acute complication that endangered his life.

His young mother, Roxana, wraps him delicately and lovingly, and every gesture of affection is accompanied by a certain startle that she still cannot shake off.

The mother recalls those grim days when the baby was fighting between life and death.

After giving birth, and once back home in her native Guásimas, she noticed that the child was not well. He cried insistently and refused breast milk. «He, who is such a glutton,» adds the mother.

Then he began to have stomach issues, and soon after, the first seizures started.

«Those were desperate moments; I only appealed to pray to heaven and entrusted my child to the doctors’ wisdom,» comments Roxana, from the Intermediate Therapy room, where she has remained for more than four months.

The specialists’ promptness managed to ensure the little one’s survival. First, they stabilized him in Cárdenas, then transferred him to the Maternal Hospital, and on February 25, he arrived at the Pediatric Hospital.

«The first months were difficult, full of uncertainty and fear for my son’s health. He was reported as critical, not responding to any stimuli.»

The mother’s situation became very complex, having to distance herself from her other three children, but she acknowledges that she has had the support of her husband and family, and above all, of the medical institution’s staff.

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The specialist in First Degree in Pediatrics, Doctor Zuraida Rivera Díaz, explains that Marquitos was a baby who, after birth, was discharged as he showed no symptoms or conditions.

At 12 days old, he began having seizures, which led him to the hospital.

«Once at the health center, the first studies revealed an intraventricular hemorrhage caused by a malformation of the vein of Galen, later presenting obstructive hydrocephalus.

«This condition forced him to remain on a ventilator for two and a half months, which made a tracheotomy necessary,» comments the doctor.

During that period, according to the physician, he suffered significant nutritional deterioration. The acute physical situation was compounded by lactose intolerance.

«It was a battle of days, weeks, that kept the entire medical team on edge, until he began to regain weight, and we felt as if we had won a great battle.

«Today, the little one is in the rehabilitation stage, where physiotherapists are involved, with the aim of decannulating him — that is, removing the tracheotomy,» explains the specialist.

Soon he will be able to return home and lead a completely normal life.

The doctor appreciates the mother’s treatment and understanding, who has gotten along very well with the medical team, always willing and receptive to any medical suggestions.

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Young Roxana says her heart is divided. One part beats strongly when she sets her eyes on her little Marquitos, while the other travels to Guásima, where she wonders how her three small children, who have barely seen her these months, are doing.

Every now and then she manages to travel there to share a while with them, but she cannot spend more than one night away from her hospitalized baby.

Fortunately for her, seeing the little one’s improvement fills her with optimism. Every day she is grateful for the favorable progress.

«I have so much to be thankful for; today my son breathes thanks to the doctors here. He can already eat small portions, which represents a great achievement.»

Those small victories in her son’s gradual recovery make her forget for an instant the sharp pain that sometimes settles in her back after spending so many hours in a chair.

She hardly flinches anymore when she observes the swelling in her feet. «I can say I no longer have ribs, or cervical spine,» she tries to joke, but a sigh escapes her that, if she doesn’t steer the conversation away, could break into tears.

«It is a great test that life has put me through, but I have never felt alone. Thanks to my family, and especially to the support of the Pediatric Hospital staff, I have managed to get through this difficult situation. Very soon, thanks to the unconditional support of so many people in this hospital, my little Marquito will triumph and return home with his little siblings.»