Long wait for tot’s 1st feast
Born tiny at 25 wks., feed tube out just in time
This Thanksgiving, the dinner options are plentiful for 2-year-old Ein Sanchez: Mashed potatoes. A little pumpkin pie. Maybe even some turkey.
And each small bite will serve up a big smile to the mouths of the little boy’s parents.
The New Jersey toddler is celebrating his first Thanksgiving without a tracheostomy tube in his neck, a necessity to keep him alive after his premature birth at 25 weeks — at just 1 pound, 14 ounces. His first two Thanksgiving meals came through a tube.
“Now he can sit at the table with us and enjoy the dinner,” said his delighted mom Julissa Molina, 37. “That makes me happy …. He’s doing amazing,” she said. “He’s a fighter.”
There was little to cheer about in the weeks after the dangerously undersized infant’s arrival.
The breathing tube was implanted at Mount Sinai Hospital when Ein was just 3 months old.
Doctors, worried his underdeveloped lungs might fail, put the tube through a surgical hole made in his neck.
There was another surgery this past July to repair the adorable little boy’s airway and fix the scarring created by the tracheostomy.
The tube was permanently removed just last week, and just in time for this year’s big holiday.
But it’s not just holiday dining that’s new for Ein, who previously took all his meals through the tube and never tried solid foods. He was unable to speak like a typical kid, and his parents are now enjoying their son’s quickly expanding vocabulary.
Ein’s favorite words reflect his favorite people: Mama, Papa and Mickey — as in Mouse, his favorite Disney character.
“Seeing him grow up every single day and getting stronger and being able to do the normal kid stuff that one would expect, it definitely thrills me to see it every day,” said proud papa Jack Sanchez, 32, a police officer.
Sanchez said his boy was initially perplexed when the tube was removed, and it took Ein 30 minutes to recognize what happened.
“He started touching his neck and looking at me, wondering, ‘What’s going on with my neck? Something is different now,’ ” the dad recounted. “But after a couple of minutes, he realized he didn’t need it anymore.”
Mount Sinai otolaryngology specialist Dr. Aldo Londino, who performed the July surgery, said the hole in Ein’s neck will close over time and the prognosis is bright.
“His family is thankful for the ability to communicate with him,” said Londino (inset).
“He’s forming his words, hearing his own voice. I think that’s a big win for him,” the doctor said.
The little boy’s family, residents of Passaic County, N.J., envision a bright future after a difficult past.
“He’s understanding that he is like us,” said mom Julissa. “I see him more playful, too. He’s running more, spending time by himself. He feels more secure and safe.”