Meet Shelby
Born: 2010
Diagnosis: Pulmonary hypertension, chronic and acute respiratory failure, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), extreme premature birth
Services used: Respiratory, infusion nursing and pharmacy, home care nursing, specialized nutrition
CHALLENGE
Born extremely premature and with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, Shelby was a tiny baby with extreme challenges. Her conditions put her at a higher risk of pulmonary infection. Plus, she needed to gain weight.
Solution
PHS respiratory therapists have been involved since Shelby had a tracheostomy. Our home care nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists worked with Shelby’s family to make sure she got the nutrition and medications she needed, and in 2014 Shelby was decannulated.
Results
Shelby’s mom says you wouldn’t know Shelby was sick. Living at home, Shelby lives life as fully as possible, running around the house, shopping with the family, playing with the pets, getting tickled by her big sis, and even eating the same foods as everyone else, blended and fed through a large syringe in her g-tube. Now breathing easy, she looks forward to a future when she eats on her own.