On May 21, 2011 our Max was born with Esophageal Atresia/Tracheoesophageal Fistula Type C - a fancy way of saying he was unable to swallow. His esophagus was in two pieces. The top half dead ended and the bottom half was connected to his trachea. The day after he was born, he was surgically repaired and has been able to eat since. His esophagus doesn't work as quickly or as well as everyone else's, but it works. His trachea, however, has become more of an issue as he gets older and more active. Max has an EA/TEF related condition called tracheomalacia - a soft, floppy airway. In Max's case, his trachea is collapsing 100% when he coughs or if his airway is working hard (i.e. when exercising, during hot/humid weather, if there is smoke or other irritants in the air, etc.). Throughout his life he has struggled with frequent pneumonias and episodes of not being able to breathe. The episodes became so frequent in spring of 2019 that James and I reached out to Boston Children's Hospital to see if they could help our little dude. After a week of testing, scopes and doctor's appointments in July 2019, the answer was YES. They can help. Here is where we will update you - our dear family and friends - on our journey with Max. Thank you, all, so much for the support. We couldn't get through this without you!
