Catherine and Vivian
Vivian is 4 years old, and had heart surgery as a baby. Then she got pneumonia when she was 2 years old, and couldn’t leave the hospital without a trach and ventilator. Her Mom and Dad wanted her home, and learned to take care of her home vent.
Audio introduction for Catherine and Vivian
Catherine: I’m Catherine. My husband, Ken, and I live in a small house in the city. Life is expensive. We work hard to make ends meet. It’s been really challenging since our daughter, Vivian, was born. That was four years ago. How would I describe Vivian…she’s a delicate little thing. She has a heart problem and needed surgery when she was just a baby. She did fine for a long time, but then she caught pneumonia two years ago. She was in the ICU and just couldn’t get off the ventilator. The doctors said a trach and vent could get her home sooner. So that’s what we did.