CHILD WITH BURNS GOES HOME
IN-HOME ESTIMATES 7 DAYS A WEEK
It was a rodeo-themed affair. As staff members lined the walls of the Valleywise Arizona Burn Center, most sported tiny cowboy hats, Toy Story stickers on their scrubs and fake mustaches on their surgical masks; a wild west cake waiting for them at the end of the hallway.
The Friday afternoon send-off was fit for 3-year-old Westyn Tudor, a testament to the toddler who, through his four-month stay, 21 surgeries and a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, taught a hospital the meaning of resilience, though no one is sure he’ll ever know it.
“I’m not sure he gets the magnitude of this moment, but at the very least, the decorations tell him there’s something to be excited about,” said 32-year-old Amy Green, Westyn’s mom.
“I’m ready to see my horses,” he says beside her.
Westyn is referring to his home in Yuma, where on Nov. 11, 2020, he fell backward into a fire pit, sustaining third-degree burns over 45% of his body.
Westyn was initially taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where, in critical condition, he was intubated and doctors started him on ketamine for sedation. However, YRMC said Westyn needed a more specialized facility to treat the severity of his burns. With no available helicopters, Green and Westyn were taken to Yuma International Airport and flown to the burn center in Phoenix. Just as Westyn arrived at the center, it was revealed he tested positive for COVID-19, the flu and strep throat. Not only was Westyn unable to stay in the burn unit until he tested negative, Green wasn’t allowed to see him for two days until the hospital administration approved her as a visitor.
Three days after Westyn arrived, his condition decreased to the point of being put on a ventilator. Then he was put on a high-frequency oscillator, an
other type of breathing machine that delivers very small breaths at a high rate, most commonly used for babies who are not responding to conventional ventilation. Westyn remained on a ventilator for nearly a month before it was replaced with a tracheostomy tube to keep his neck open for breathing. The tube was just recently removed the week of Feb. 12, and Westyn is now breathing entirely on his own.
Westyn has to continue wearing his splints for about six more months, 19 hours a day. The splints keep his arms over his head to ensure the scarring across his back doesn’t affect his mobility. In addition, he will have regular follow-up appointments at the burn center, along with physical therapy.
“This process really hasn’t affected him mentally,” Green said. “He is still the happy, loving boy he was before. I am honestly happy to continue coming back because I know how much he will miss these people.”