At the time of Sofia's birth, her lungs were so small that she
needed to be put on a ventilator to help her breathe. As a result,
Sofia developed a chronic lung condition that often affects
premature newborn babies who are put on a breathing machine. When
Sofia was nearly four months old, her parents, Sarah and Luigi,
discovered Sofia also had severe gastroesophageal reflux disease
(GERD), a condition that caused Sofia to not keep any food
down.
Since birth, Sofia had also been on a nasogastric route (NG)
tube for nourishment. NG tubes are passed through the nose, down
through the nasopharynx and esophagus and into the stomach.
Unfortunately, as Sofia continued to grow, her health problems
worsened and doctors recommended a gastric feeding tube (g-tube) as
a long-term solution for Sofia's nourishment. The Sorbaras, hopeful
that Sofia would not need a permanent feeding tube and additional
surgery, were hesitant at first to move forward with the
g-tube.
In an effort to avoid the additional surgeries, Sarah and Luigi
instead opted to proceed with a Transgastric feeding (GJ) tube
which could be placed by a NICU doctor without surgery. The GJ tube
was inserted through the nose, similar to the NG tube, providing
access to both the stomach and the small intestines. At the time,
Sarah and Luigi believed this less invasive option was best for
Sofia. However, the GJ tube did not help to reduce Sofia's severe
GERD and Sarah and Luigi decided there must be a feeding tube
better suited to Sofia's needs.
Finding a Solution
Sofia was then transferred to Children's Hospital in London,
Ontario where Sarah and Luigi met Dr. Neil Merritt, who agreed with
the former recommendation that Sophia needed a g-tube. Dr. Merritt
had recently completed his second MIC-KEY* tube placement at the
hospital. Convinced that this could be a better option for their
daughter, Sarah and Luigi decided to get Sophia another g-tube,
specifically the MIC-KEY* low-profile gastrostomy tube, in November
2009.
Since then, the MIC-KEY* tube has become part of Sofia's regular
routine. Sarah and Luigi love that the tube is discrete, and unless
she is swimming at the pool no one even knows it's there. Sofia is
proud of her MIC-KEY* tube and often asks her parents if she can
feed herself - which they do happily!
Thanks to the MIC-KEY* tube, Sofia is
able to enjoy typical toddler activities, such as swimming with
other kids, solving puzzles and attending programs at the local
library. "The MIC-KEY* tube has allowed Sofia to be a normal
toddler," says Sarah, "I was skeptical at first, but it has
exceeded all of my expectations. It's a great option for anyone
with a long-term feeding need."
