Aiden Getz, Spring Mills
When Aiden entered the world on New Year’s Day, his lungs needed help. Doctors at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital intubated him and put him in an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
He needed several blood transfusions and a tracheostomy tube placed in his airway when he was 6 months old. The tube helped him breathe despite the weakened cartilage in his windpipe, a condition called tracheomalacia.
After a 10-month stay between the NICU and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Aiden went home with his family, though he remained on a home ventilator. Since then he has thrived. He’s made enough progress to have his tracheostomy tube removed, and now he loves swimming and playing outside.
Much of the equipment used to help Aiden in the NICU, including ventilators, incubators, bed warmers and infusion pumps, were provided thanks to donations to Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger. The home ventilator program was also started with generous donations.
He needed several blood transfusions and a tracheostomy tube placed in his airway when he was 6 months old. The tube helped him breathe despite the weakened cartilage in his windpipe, a condition called tracheomalacia.
After a 10-month stay between the NICU and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Aiden went home with his family, though he remained on a home ventilator. Since then he has thrived. He’s made enough progress to have his tracheostomy tube removed, and now he loves swimming and playing outside.
Much of the equipment used to help Aiden in the NICU, including ventilators, incubators, bed warmers and infusion pumps, were provided thanks to donations to Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger. The home ventilator program was also started with generous donations.
