Gabriel’s Story: 573 days later
When Morgan was pregnant with Gabriel, she knew he would be born with a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. She knew there would be surgeries and hospital stays.
She never imagined they would spend the first 573 days of his life in the hospital.
Gabriel was born at 30 weeks and 4 days and was placed on a breathing tube just hours after birth. At only six months old—and weighing just 10 pounds—he underwent his first open-heart surgery.
Every time doctors tried to remove his breathing tube, it didn’t work. No one knew why.
Then came another unexpected diagnosis.
Morgan remembers the moment everything finally made sense.
“When I made the choice to have a tracheostomy, they ended up placing it in his esophagus. That’s when they found another issue. He had a tracheoesophageal fistula—a hole connecting his airway and esophagus. We finally understood why removing the breathing tube never lasted long.”
Gabriel needed another surgery, and in July 2020 he received his second tracheostomy.
From there, Morgan had to learn an entirely new way of life.
“We learned everything—how to care for his vent, how to care for his trach. It was overwhelming, but we did it.”
She added, “After being intubated for a year and one month, 573 days in the hospital, Gabriel was able to come home!”
Home, however, came with its own challenges.
Morgan is raising Gabriel as a single mom in a rural community where pediatric home nursing is almost impossible to find.
Without nursing support, Morgan is Gabriel’s full-time caregiver. She can’t work outside the home because Gabriel needs constant care. They live with her mom, who works full time to support the family, and her brother, who is on dialysis and unable to work.
Then, just when life seemed full enough, Morgan’s car stopped running.
Without a reliable vehicle, getting Gabriel to therapy appointments and specialists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia became another source of stress. The repair was more than the family could afford.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, The Little Trachs Foundation was able to help with the cost of repairing the family’s vehicle so Gabriel could continue getting the care he needs.
When Morgan found out her family had been selected, she wrote:
“I can’t even put into words what this means to us. The Little Trachs Foundation has been such a blessing to our family—more than words can express.”
She ended her message with something that says a lot about who she is.
“We hope to one day give back and help other families.”
After years of surgeries, hospital stays, and learning how to care for a child with complex medical needs, Morgan is still doing what she’s always done—showing up for Gabriel, one day at a time.
And after everything they’ve been through, that’s exactly what makes their story so remarkable.
