Up until she was eight months old, Adi was just like every other infant. That all changed after an accident where she fell off the bed and was found lying on her stomach. “When I found her, she way lying face down,” shares Josefina, Adi’s mom. “It’s a bit of a mystery, but we assume that she hit her head and her chest.”

Once Adi was brought to the emergency room, she was found to have a small bleed in her brain. Adi could not support her carbon dioxide levels without the use of a ventilator, so she had to have a tracheostomy tube placed.

Adi, now one year old, was aboard the S.S. La Rabida for roughly two months. While an inpatient, she received a number of therapies: occupational, physical and speech and swallow.

“She was learning something new every day. Because of physical therapy, she’s a lot more mobile now,” shares Josefina. “She’ll stand on her own now with minimal support.”

The rehabilitative treatments that Adi has undergone have helped her regain some of the skills that she once had. “Adi was deconditioned to orally eat and that’s why she has a G-Tube. Through speech and swallow therapy, we’ve been reintroducing her to foods that she ate before her accident – purees, little puffs, dissolving cookies,” says Josefina.

“After her accident, she didn’t even want to put food in her mouth. She didn’t want anything to do with that. Now she has a blast with food.”

Working with the dedicated healthcare team at La Rabida, Adi is making great improvements. “She’s definitely getting better at passing things and grabbing little items. She used to do that before, but since she was hospitalized, it took her awhile to get back to that point,” says Josefina. “Also, socially, she is a lot more aware now. I think she is starting to reach the milestones appropriate for her age.”

After all of her progress, Adi was able to go home this month. “Right now, our main focus will be building a routine at home,” says Josefina. “We’re also hoping that, within time, we can get Adi to a place where she doesn’t need the trach or G-Tube.”

This story was featured in the October 2019 issue of eCurrents, La Rabida's monthly newsletter. To view the October issue of eCurrents, click here.