Fighting Strength

Born at just 24 weeks, Owen spent his first five months in the NICU of a local hospital before he was healthy enough to go home with his parents. His lungs were underdeveloped and weaker than a full-term baby, but Owen was strong.

Six weeks later, Owen started to show signs of respiratory distress—what started as a mild cold required rapid intubation and admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Rady Children’s.

Owen’s system became dependent on medications to stay well and he spent 784 consecutive days at Rady Children’s—nearly all that time in the PICU. His highly critical condition, fragile state and chronic illness were managed with coordinated, round-the-clock treatment and care by an integrated team of experts in intensive care for the sickest young patients.

About one month into his stay, Owen had a gastronomy tube placed for feeding, and shortly after also underwent a tracheostomy. His care team anticipated he would recover and be able to return home, but Owen struggled to adapt to a ventilator.

“Owen’s prematurity and vulnerability brought him in initially, but one small setback followed by another spiraled him into a really long, extended stay,” says Owen’s dad, Nick.

Over the more than two years that Owen, Darlene and Nick spent at Rady Children’s, the PICU team became like family.

“Each doctor and nurse had foundational and integral moments in helping him heal, advocating for us, coaching us and cheering us on,” Darlene says. “Because of their combined impacts, Owen survived and made it out of the hospital.” Leaders in innovative, evidence-based best practices supported by advanced, precise technology, the PICU team is consistently recognized for excellence in patient survival and recovery outcomes.

Darlene and Nick are especially grateful to one physician for guiding them in weaning Owen off a medication that could have caused additional complications, and a nurse for teaching them proper wound care maintenance around his tracheostomy and G-tube sites. They also credit Rady Children’s occupational and physical therapy teams for helping empower Owen as he grew.

Now 10 years old, Owen can breathe without a tracheostomy tube or ventilator. He communicates with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device and has steadily built feeding and speech skills. He recently completed fourth grade and enjoys Legoland, trains and adaptive rock climbing.

Owen still has periodic visits to Rady Children’s, and his parents are comforted to return to a familiar place with a team they trust.

“He’s full of joy and full of life,” says his dad, “and so many people fought with us to get him through to where we are today.”