Ignacio, 9 years old, was born with complete tracheal rings. While typical tracheal rings are “C” shaped, Ignacio's was abnormally “O” shaped, a rare congenital anomaly.

Ignacio and his family were unaware of this diagnosis until he was 1 when he required emergency surgery at another facility where the medical team communicated to the family that he had congenital tracheal stenosis. He was subsequently discharged from that hospital and was not advised to follow up.

Ignacio is a sports-fanatic who loves playing soccer with his friends, learning karate and running through his school playground but always felt a shortness of breath and at times had trouble keeping up with his friends while racing. Unevaluated by an Otolaryngologist (ENT) until the age of 8, this past year, Ignacio was evaluated for sleep apnea by Nicklaus Children's Hospital experts where he received multiple exams and studies to get to the bottom of Ignacio's narrowed airways.

Due to his history of obstruction, snoring, and nasal congestion an adenotonsillectomy was performed on Ignacio as well as a bronchoscopy to evaluate the extent of his airway narrowing given his “tracheal stenosis” diagnosis from years back.

During his bronchoscopy with Dr. Brian Ho, Nicklaus Children's pediatric otolaryngologist and airway specialist, it was discovered he was in fact born with Complete Tracheal Rings (a form of stenosis) and required a Slide Tracheoplasty coordinated with the Cardiothoracic Surgery team to open his airways and widen his trachea.
During the 8-hour long procedure, Dr. Ho joined forces with the cardiac surgery team at the Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute to open his airway and widen his trachea.

Following the success of the surgery, Ignacio spent a month recovering within the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Nicklaus Children's Hospital where doctors, nurses and medical staff ensured he was well cared for during his recuperation journey. The recovery required patience from Ignacio, his family, and the medical team to follow strict precautions to ensure a safe recovery. Although strict precautions were taken by Ignacio, his family and the medical team to ensure a safe recovery, he was still out of bed walking just one week after the big operation.

“I was emotional to hear Ignacio tell me he felt an immediate difference in his breathing after the operation, says Trina, Ignacio's mother. “Seeing him after surgery in a brace and unable to move his neck while he recovered left me a bit uneasy at first but to see the five nurses dedicated to him and his doctors not only checking up on him but praying with me gave me peace and tranquility like no other.”

Just six months after his surgery, Ignacio is breathing stronger and has returned back to being the athlete he is!