Help Our Little Warrior: Support for Baby Ambrose

Help Our Little Warrior: Support for Baby Ambrose

Our Journey So Far

Our beautiful son, Ambrose, came into this world under challenging circumstances. After a long and difficult induction, both he and I contracted an infection, leading to further complications. This resulted in Ambrose needing immediate care in the NICU for a week. During this time, he was put on a CPAP machine, a nasal cannula, and a feeding tube to stabilize his low oxygen levels.

When we finally brought our little warrior home, we noticed that his head was growing at a surprising rate. Our pediatrician shared her concern at his two-month check-up and ordered a head ultrasound. The results were heartbreaking: Ambrose was diagnosed with hydrocephalus caused by a brain bleed that had been missed at birth.

Understanding Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus is a condition where an excess of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, leading to increased pressure. In Ambrose's case, this buildup was due to a brain bleed, which required immediate intervention. He was rushed to the children’s hospital and underwent brain surgery to place a shunt, a device that allows the excess fluid to drain and relieve the pressure on his brain.

A Pit Stop in the Road to Recovery

With the shunt in place and the start of physical and occupational therapies, Ambrose began making progress in his development. However, our challenges were far from over. A few months later, Ambrose developed a rare form of epilepsy called infantile spasms.

Understanding Infantile Spasms

Infantile spasms are a severe type of epilepsy that typically begins in infancy. They can be very subtle and easily overlooked, but they can cause significant developmental delays if not treated promptly. Infantile spasms require immediate medical attention and a comprehensive treatment plan to control the seizures and minimize their impact on the child's development.

Ambrose's spasms needed immediate and intensive treatment. Thankfully, his spasms have been controlled, and although his EEGs show focal seizure spikes, he is on medication to keep them at bay.

Our Commitment and Gratitude

My husband and I are doing everything we can to support Ambrose through various intervention programs, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Despite the difficulties he has faced, we love our perfect, little guy and are committed to ensuring he lives his best life, regardless of any future challenges related to his hydrocephalus or seizures. No matter what abilities he may have, Ambrose will always be loved and cared for. He is perfect in our eyes and, despite everything, has been the bravest and happiest little guy ever.

We are incredibly thankful for the doctors and surgeons at Dell Children’s Hospital for their ongoing care and dedication to Ambrose's health. Their expertise and compassion have been invaluable to us. We are also deeply grateful for our wonderful pediatrician, who continues to show such diligence and compassion with our son. Additionally, we owe a huge thanks to all of the intervention experts—his therapists are the reason he is doing so well developmentally.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our family—Momo, Abuelito, tia, aunts, uncles, and many, many cousins—for all of their help and support. Plus, our wonderful friends who are aunties and uncles by proxy—we are so lucky to have people in our son's life who love and care for him the way they do. We would not know what to do without you all.

How You Can Help

We are reaching out to ask for your support in covering Ambrose’s past and future medical expenses and home health needs. Every donation, no matter the size, will make a significant difference in our ability to provide the best possible care for our son.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and support. Your kindness means the world to us and will help ensure Ambrose has the bright future he deserves.

With gratitude,

Ellie, Lucas & Ambrose Quintero