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Jeremy Pascua - March 2004

The Pascua family has been through so much with 8-month-old Jeremy. What started out as a childhood illness, turned into a full-blown crisis as Jeremy's heart function deteriorated.

Jeremy Pascua was admitted into the Scottsdale-Shea Hospital on 12/28/03 and was diagnosed with Pneumonia & Flu Type A. He was treated throughout the night and had a chest x-ray the next day to check the fluid level in his lungs. At that time, the staff noticed his heart was significantly larger than it should be. The doctor on duty made the decision to have him transferred to the ICU at Phoenix Children's Hospital for further treatment.

Jeremy had an echo-cardiogram, and as a result of the test, Dr. Nolan informed Jeremy's parents, Guy and Tina, that the baby's heart function was very poor and that he may or may not make it through the night. The family had quite a few friends surrounding them throughout the night in prayer.

In the next couple of weeks, Jeremy's heart function improved. A feeding tube was also placed through his nose as his weight level was at a dan gerously low level. He was finally released from the hospital on January 10, 2004.

Jeremy has continuous doctor appointments to check his heart function. The family thrives on any good news the doctors provide. His current heart function is at 40%, when it should be at 60%. If his heart function decreases more, Jeremy will most likely be put on the heart transplant list.

At this time, doctors aren't sure if Jeremy's heart enlargement (cardiomyopathy) is due to genetic causes, or if it is a virus that has caused the enlargement. He had a muscle biopsy at Phoenix Children's Hospital to verify the status, which was not known at press time.

Jeremy no longer has the feeding tube in his nose, and has rediscovered the desire to eat on his own. He has started to gain weight and regain some of that energy he used to have.

His mom says that Jeremy is really good about enduring the hospital visits. "He doesn't cry when he gets shots," she says. "He just looks at the nurses with his big brown eyes and they all want to pick him up."

Even though Jeremy is doing most of what an 8-month-old normally does, he can't go to the store or any public place with the family, for fear of catching an illness in his weakened state. The rest of the family is very careful to stay away from ill people when they do go out.

This kind of family crisis would have any family in turmoil, and the Pascua's are no exception. Tina admits that her family is stressed, and Jeremy's 5-year-old sister Marissa feels left-out when she can't go into the hospital or doesn't receive as much attention as normal. They have received support from her church family at Fellowship Church , as well as financial support from We Care in Anthem. The family is thankful for everyone's help and prayers.

Help has also come from an unlikely source: Moms groups in the valley. "A Mom's club in Scottsdale found out about us and has brought in meals. It's amazing," says Tina. Moms with small children can instantly relate to another Mom whose child is endangered.

Jeremy is responding well to the 5 heart medications he will most likely have to take for the next year, and everyone his hopeful that his heart function will improve. Until then, the family waits, prays and hopes, sustained by family, friends, and their many supporters.

We Care has stepped in to help with medical expenses, and is sponsoring a "Home Makeover" raffle to benefit Jeremy.
We Care also has a Wells Fargo checking account for direct donations to Jeremy. The number is #155 7353750.