Misha's Road to Recovery

Hi - many of you know that my family suffered a tragedy this past Sunday. Our son was playing at a friends house next door when we were alerted that he had drowned. His mother and then EMTs were on the scene immediately to provide CPR. He was then rushed to Texas Children's Hospital where we has been receiving around the clock care in the PICU.

Misha is nearly six(but if you ask him, he's one hundred thousand). He's strong. He's brave. He's so curious and he can "do it himself" so naturally everyday that we get a little slice of progress (while medically they have each come as a welcome surprise) I would not say that we are surprised that Misha is in their fighting for his life and to get back to us. I want to take a second though to say that Misha isn't just strong. He has empathy, he wants to help not just to to be appreciated but because he cares about the help he's giving. My favorite moments of being one of his parents the last 10 months is when I can find little ways for him to help me with my work. He loves to pick flowers for his mom and he's been pressing them in a book for Avi. He races every morning to the dog food, before I have a chance to wake him for school, to beat me there so HE can feed the dogs. Then he runs upstairs and feeds the cat, Charlie (who he calls Jarlie)

He's gentle. He wants to understand things. He wants to listen, and learn and show affection. He goes with Avi to the cafe often and is social with all the patrons and other employees. He loves to smell and taste the food when his mother is cooking. He'll eat nearly anything. He loves food. He loves to help with any step he can. Last week he sat on the island while we made egg broccoli muffins and he ate so much raw broccoli watching and helping.

We explained to him one day how to take bugs he finds outside. Now if he finds a bug, he isn't doing anything else until that bug is back "with it's family". We have songs on a playlist that he insists on hearing 7 times in a row. He loves music, monster trucks, ninja turtles, firefighters and waves at anyone in uniform. He'll wave and say "hey bro!" as long as it takes to get their attention and say hi back. He's never discouraged if someone doesn't hear him, or if he falls down. He's always saying "no, i'm ok", getting back up and after it.

We've all been so lucky to have Misha in our life and none of us ever thought we would be in this position waiting day by day to see how he can recover. We've had tremendous support from friends, family, clients. Misha has hundreds of people praying for him and people with him at all hours of the day.

In the coming months we will be handling everything we have to regarding his recovery which could include a myriad of different things. We know his medical bills will be astronmical during this process. We are hoping that we can find resources through medicaid, the liability insurance and other options but everything is very unclear at this stage. We plan to do everything outlined to get Misha the best care available, in whatever areas he may need along his rehabiliation. This will likely be months at least, potentially years or a liftime of care for Misha. We want to try things such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers for him. Anything we can do to help him.

People have reached out asking how to help and at first we weren't sure what he will need. We're sort of all in a limbo state right now - but I decided that it was best that we start a campagin for Misha for supplemental costs now as we all take time off work and spend time with him. This money will be used to help along the way to provide all the care for Misha as outlined above, as well as for us to take time away from work, buy toys and books for misha and any other gaps that we worry may be there after we reach settlements.

The goal number isn't specific. You know, we have no idea what we are looking at exactly. If we fall short or exceed the goal, we appreciate every bit that everyone has done. Every prayer, every message, every thought about Misha is important and I can't wait for the day that we get to see him smile when we show him how many people sent all these messages and these prayers just for him.

We live in Houston Tx

This campagin is being organized by me, his mother (Aviana Quiroga) and his biological father (Chris Pena)