Meet our August Patient of the Month, Piero. Piero was born at just 27 weeks old, which is unusually early. Because he was born prematurely, he needed to be intubated to help his lungs continue developing. However, due to his small size, the intubation caused subglottic stenosis, or a narrowing of the windpipe, making it difficult for him to breathe on his own. His parents were told that he may need a tracheostomy, but they wanted to find out if it was possible for a surgeon to rebuild Piero’s trachea. They had him transferred over to Nicklaus Children's Hospital where they met Dr. Yamilet Tirado, who happens to be trained to perform that very procedure. After a successful recovery, Piero was able to breathe normally.

Today, Piero can eat food on his own, drink water, and of course breathe on his own thanks to the doctors and nurses at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.