By Hina, mother of CHOC patient Rayaan
When Rayaan was 16 months old, he caught a simple cold. He had a typical low-grade fever and slept more than normal. I figured he needed the rest and would feel better the next day. The next morning, he was having a difficult time waking up so I thought I should take him to his pediatrician. She recognized something was very wrong and described him as being “unresponsive.” He was immediately transported to CHOC Hospital via ambulance. CHOC’s emergency department team was waiting for our ambulance and ready to care for Rayaan as soon as we arrived. They quickly assessed him and then placed him on a ventilator as he was brought up to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
His care team ordered an MRI of his brain and diagnosed him with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, also known as ADEM. This means there was widespread inflammation in his brain and spinal cord that damages the myelin, which is a protective covering for nerve fibers. ADEM had affected over two thirds of his brain. We didn’t know it yet, but we would be at CHOC for the long haul.
Over the course of the next six weeks, Rayaan received multiple types of treatment for ADEM. His care team was vast, and included many different specialties: Dr. Nguyen Pham, a pediatric otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist or ENT), Dr. Gregory Wong, a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Sharief Taraman, a pediatric neurologist, in addition to infectious disease specialists, in-patient physical and occupational therapists, a respiratory therapist, and the feeding team. He was in a coma and on life support for three weeks. During this time, his doctors kept a very close eye not only on him, but also on our entire family. Dr. Nick Anas, CHOC’s physician-in-chief; Dr. Jason Knight, medical director of emergency transport services; Dr. Paul Lubinsky, associate PICU director; and critical care specialists Dr. Juliette Hunt, Dr. Anthony Cherin and all of our nurses became family to us. I remember when Dr. Anas came to check up on Rayaan and he asked me when was the last time I layed next to Rayaan, I replied it’s been a while, and he ordered the PICU staff to transfer Rayaan from a crib to a full-size bed immediately, so I could lay next to my son. Rayaan was connected to every machine and monitor you can imagine, but his doctor was keeping my feelings in mind.
During this extremely difficult time when we were waiting for him to wake up, we were fortunate to have a wonderful support system. The Ronald McDonald Family Room let us escape for a few minutes, occaisionaly breakfast and lunch was provided by generous donors, and my daughter who was only three years old at the time was taken care of by child life specialists, while a social worker and case manager were assigned to us to provide us with counseling. This period was the hardest thing we had ever dealt with in our lives.
After three weeks of being in a coma, Rayaan began showing signs of waking up. He began by slightly moving his hands and arms. A few days later, we noticed his eye partially open. It would take him almost two weeks to be fully awake. Although he had woken up from his coma, his journey was just beginning. The inflammation in his brain caused severe brain trauma and he lost his speech, and his ability to walk, eat, swallow and drink. While he was still in the hospital, a feeding tube was placed, as his oral muscles were to weak to swallow and chew. After his discharge, the rehabilitation team came in to ensure he would relearn the basics. Nicole Well, a speech language pathologist at CHOC, taught my son how to talk again. A feeding therapist named Polly provided electrical stimulation feeding therapy to make his muscles strong enough again to be able to eat, drink and swallow on his own.
Rayaan endured several surgeries and procedures during his hospitalization, and even more after his discharge and as well as multiple visits to the emergency department at CHOC. The CHOC specialists always worked so hard on Rayaan as if he were their own child. I am very grateful to CHOC for saving his life and I know that the comprehensive care we received at CHOC we wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else.
Today, four years later, Rayaan is in Transitional Kindergarten and still undergoes multiple therapies in the effort to make a full recovery from his illness. He remains under the care of CHOC specialists. I am inspired every day by his strength and his courage to overcome so much at such a young age. Above all, our family is grateful for CHOC, who has provided him with the comprehensive medical care throughout his journey.
