Last night, Gabriel was accompanied by his cousin Pedro, who himself experienced pneumonia when he was young, in this same hospital.
Today, Pedro wishes to study medicine. A nice nod to life, and a beautiful example of hope.
I also take this opportunity to thank Dr. Alain from Nice in France, who has been following us daily for a month.
He sends us his reports based on Gabriel’s medical results every day.
He too experienced lung problems in his childhood, before becoming a Pediatric Pulmonologist himself.
Today’s News:
The doctor came by around noon. Here’s what to remember:
🩺 General Health Status
Gabriel is stable (still our champion!)
🧬 Liver Problems
The gastroenterologist believes that the liver issues are related to the ECMO. Nothing serious, but it will take time to regenerate.
From now on, only one blood test per week will be performed for liver analyses.
This is to protect him from too many blood draws and allow him to regain strength.
🍼 Diet and Nutrition
Gabriel is fed through a gastric tube with a special low-calorie milk (Neocate I believe).
The goal is to gradually increase caloric intake, changing milk 2 to 3 times, until reaching a very high-calorie milk so that our little boy becomes very strong!
This protocol, in continuous diet, will last two to three weeks, depending on his progress.
🫁 Pulmonary Monitoring
The doctor reiterated the severity of Gabriel’s pulmonary condition. They continue to search for the best treatment scenario.
Internal discussions are taking place with a pulmonologist, and we have been authorized to call upon other experts. We are actively doing this (India, São Paulo, Fortaleza etc.).
The different teams will now exchange together to define the best approach.
There’s also the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteria that they’re trying to control with antibiotics, including Bactrim.
💡 Treatment Options Being Considered
Nothing has changed since yesterday for now regarding this, they are considering:
- Pulse therapy: awaiting feedback from experts for validation.
- Tracheostomy: also being considered. It could offer more comfort and autonomy to Gabriel, and potentially allow a return home with temporary oxygen therapy with a small machine.
This will be decided this week.
🏥 Hospital Life
The atmosphere here is in flux.
The hospital is working to improve hygiene and quality of care for patients and their families.
The waiting room, right next to the ICU, sometimes serves as an improvised dormitory, filled with bags, blankets, etc. Which isn’t great in terms of hygiene.
A meeting was organized with social services to find lasting solutions, especially for parents who live in the hospital 24/7 due to lack of alternatives.
I took the opportunity to also remind everyone of the importance of hygiene in the ICU: it still happens that some staff members, a minority, approach patients without masks. And I saw another fly this morning next to my son…
💙 a Gesture Full of Kindness
Our psychologist, who has been supporting us from the beginning, offered Manuela a beautiful journal so she can write every day.
A small object filled with meaning, which does a lot of good.
We continue to move forward, day by day.
As a reminder, Manuela organizes a common prayer every day at 9 AM (Brazil time), which is 2 PM in France.
The goal is for everyone to be able to send their thoughts, energy, and love to our little Gabriel at the same time for a few minutes.
(And for the French people like me who didn’t attend catechism classes but preferred Club Dorothée: send your energy like a Spirit Bomb, as in Dragon Ball Z 😉)
Thank you
