Giada tonsillectomy recovery
Born in 2019, Giada Gonzales faced many challenges in her first year of life. Nearly six years later, she is thriving, and her mother, Allysa, proudly shares that she is “the princess of her elementary school.” Allysa recounts how she now walks through the halls on her way to class saying “hi,” giving high-fives, and hugging whoever is nearby. It is hard to imagine the progress that she has made and the challenges she has faced. With a recent procedure to close an opening in her abdomen from her feeding tube by the Pediatric Surgery team at St. Vincent Regional Hospital, it closes a long chapter for Giada and her family.
Giada was born in Billings with Down Syndrome at 30 weeks. At just 3 pounds, she was considered a micro-premie. After spending 78 days in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Giada was finally able to come home. Her homecoming would be short-lived. Just three months later she suffered a severe case of Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Rhinovirus that would lead to serious complications with her ability to breathe. She was rushed to St. Vincent Regional Hospital where she continued to decline, developing fluid around her heart. She was in critical condition and was transferred to a hospital in Denver to receive specialized care.
After six months in the hospital, she was able to transfer back home to St. Vincent’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to continue to recover. “Her care at St. Vincent was amazing. You can really tell the nursing staff loves what they do. They took such good care of Giada,” said Allysa. “Her nurses would make her comfortable by playing with her, doing her hair or singing her songs from her favorite movies. It’s been about five years since her longest stay and to this day, we keep in touch with several of her nurses.”
After another four months in the hospital, she was finally able to come home. Because of the long period of time in the hospital at the beginning of her life, Giada would need time and support to learn to eat on her own and meet developmental milestones. She continued respiratory support and extensive therapies. This included maintaining a tracheostomy (an opening and tube in her trachea or windpipe), a ventilator, and a gastrostomy feeding tube.
Over the next several years, Giada continued her slow and steady progress, needing additional medical interventions and support from specialized medical teams.
Shortly after her first birthday, Giada underwent surgery in Denver to close a couple of holes in her heart. “After that surgery, it gave her body the strength she needed to fully hit vital milestones,” said Allysa.
Additionally, during a routine tracheostomy change, Giada coughed, suffered a popped lung and was rushed to the emergency room.
“The pediatric surgery team at St. Vincent was able to take her to surgery to get a chest tube put in. Had St. Vincent not offered those services, Giada would have had to have another emergency flight out of state,” said Allysa.
Since 2016, St. Vincent has partnered with Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and University of Utah Health to offer 24/7 pediatric surgery services. In 2022, SCL Health and Intermountain merged, strengthening the collaboration and access to care for the region’s families. This specialized team of surgeons are able to keep children and families close to home for care.
In 2023, Giada had the tracheostomy removed, and last year, she was ready to have the feeding tube removed. Initially, the Gonzales family thought they might have to travel out of state again for this surgery but were pleased to know that the pediatric surgery team at St. Vincent Regional Hospital could do the procedure, allowing Giada to recover and heal at home.
“Dr. Barnhart (Giada’s surgeon) is amazing. He was wonderful to work with,” said Allysa. “We want other families to know that you don’t necessarily have to travel out of state for care and that we have a team of surgeons and specialists right here who can do it. It was such a relief knowing we could have her surgery here. Unplanned trips out of state for care, would have been a financial struggle.”
With that final surgery completed, Giada and her family are looking forward to a happy and healthy future.
“It has been a long chapter, but with the removal of the feeding tube she is beyond her severe medical conditions from birth,” said Allysa. “So many caregivers have been involved with her care over the last six years, and we are very grateful to everyone at St. Vincent, the PICU and the Pediatric Specialty Clinic. She still has a long way to go as far as ‘catching up’ developmentally but she’s so much stronger now and has a lot of support from the many people in her life who love her.”
St. Vincent Regional Hospital Foundation will hold its 11th annual Call for Kids Mediathon on Wednesday, April 9 to support families in the region and patients like Giada. Funds raised will benefit children’s services at St. Vincent, home to the only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Surgery program in eastern Montana. The community can tune into Cat Country 102.9 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and tune into KTVQ on April 9 to hear stories of courage, hope and strength.
“Gifts received through our Call for Kids Mediathon help make it possible for St. Vincent to provide our pediatric patients with a continuum of care that is unparalleled in our region,” said St. Vincent Foundation Executive Director Tyler Wiltgen. “Philanthropic support for our pediatric programs is making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable patients and their families and is one way in which we fulfill our mission.”
By donating, it ensures that the youngest, most fragile patients have access to the best technology, programs and facilities to heal close to home. Individuals can call to show they care to 406-237-KIDS (5437) on Wednesday, April 9, or text KIDS to 32037. Donations can also be made online at svhkids.org
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