Baby choked with diaper wipe faces uncertain future
TARPON SPRINGS The blood still on the wall is a constant reminder. So is the IV buy canada goose jacket cheap stand and the yellow stethoscope dangling from it. So is her son s face.
The image canada goose uk outlet haunts Kassandra Morales in the shower and in canada goose outlet the car going from doctor appointment Canada Goose online to doctor appointment. It Canada Goose Parka haunts her in her dreams.
It plays like a movie in her head: Her 6 month old son Jaxon rigid and stiff as a official canada goose outlet board, turning blue as the seconds canada goose outlet canada tick by and he inches closer to death. He s choking on something. And she can t get the object out.
Pause. Rewind. Fast forward. Replay.
No matter how many times Morales tries to escape the confines of her house, she can t she starts to have a panic attack. And every time she goes to scrub the blood stain clean, she freezes and replays canada goose factory outlet the night of July 17.
She said she came home from work that Tuesday to find her boyfriend, Michael Hurley, standing in their apartment. He told her their child was choking on https://www.naslsoccerbowl.com a baby wipe.
Morales ran her hands along Jaxon s throat, as if it were a tube of toothpaste. Squeezing, flipping and moving him in every which direction, working to dislodge the wipe.
Hurley, now charged with child abuse, stood motionless behind the kitchen counter.
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Among the few things that have stayed the same about Jaxon since that day is his love for canada goose clearance the Disney movie Coco. His piercing blue eyes are focused on the television.
The fair skinned baby with protruding fat rolls and a single thick, brown curl in his hair used to be the “perfect” baby. He d sleep for hours and cry only for diapers and food.
Now, Morales is lucky if he sleeps for an hour at a time it s usually less than half that.
Jaxon s eyes dart around and he canada goose outlet jackets kicks his legs frantically. Morales worries about scaring him even more. She second guesses little things like wiping his lips after he spits up and putting his plush elephant pacifier in his mouth.
Doctors told her he probably won t remember and shouldn t be triggered, but she can t help but wonder, what if he does?
Jaxon s eyes were rolled back into his head canada goose black friday sale and his tongue was raised. Blood was spewing from his mouth and nose. He wasn canada goose black friday sale t breathing.
Morales estimates it was about 30 minutes before she was able to snatch the wadded up wipe from Jaxon s throat and the ambulance arrived.
“It looked like an organ. I was screaming Did I do something wrong? What did I do canada goose outlet shop wrong?,” Morales said. “I honestly thought I had hurt my baby.”
Jaxon was in St. Joseph s Hospital in Tampa for two weeks, canada goose outlet nyc including three days in the pediatric intensive care unit. He was diagnosed with a laceration in his esophagus and has a blister, mostly likely from the chemicals in the wipe.
Doctors still don t know what if any lasting neurological effects Jaxon will have from the incident.
The baby has a swallow study at the end of September that will provide crucial answers. It will cheap canada goose determine whether he can begin eating solid foods or if a feeding tube needs to be surgically placed in his stomach.
It could be easy to mistake the 30 year old mother for a nurse.
Jaxon s throat is still damaged and fragile. He has to be fed a 24 calorie meal every four hours through a thin, off white tube that sticks out of his left nostril.
Morales checks the tube with ease, listening intently through the stethoscope for the “pfft” noise to signal goose outlet canada it s in its proper place. Morales knows how to replace the white tape that keeps the tube secure on her son s plump cheek and knows exactly what positions will make him vomit up the food being pumped into his stomach. She has also mastered how to flush the tube, ensuring it s clean and ready for the next feeding just a few hours away.
The United Insurance customer representative is happy to have her son home but canadian goose jacket canada goose outlet new york city sometimes she canada goose jacket outlet misses the hospital. At least there she could talk with nurses.
At her home in Riverside Apartments, she s canada goose outlet online all alone.
Morales family lives in Puerto Rico. Her now ex boyfriend is in jail. Friends just don t understand.
Her soon to be 5 year old son, Adrian, “her guy,” was shipped off to Puerto Rico to stay with family while Morales adjusted to her new normal.
He s been gone almost a month and returns this weekend, ready to celebrate his birthday in Orlando. They ve had the Disney tickets for months but now, instead of Morales taking Adrian Canada Goose Coats On Sale herself, her mom will step in.
Morales avoids going out in public if she can. If she needs diapers or food, it s a race against the clock to get home.