Federal data reveals 475,000 pediatric brain injuries occur in kids under 14 years old every year. Families plunged into this situation often don't know where to turn for resources.
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One local couple hopes sharing their son's story will help others find the best advice and treatments available.
Every time 4-year old Mikey Pizzo of Ventura responds, it's a victory. When he was 7 weeks old, his mom Christina Pizzo, discovered her newborn had stopped breathing while he was in his baby carrier.
"I noticed he was unresponsive, unconscious. He was blue. I just remember thinking, oh, my God, like God help me," said Pizzo.
Another parent, who happened to be a paramedic, helped her with infant CPR. "I was like running, trying to do compressions and calling 9-1-1," Pizzo said.
"He went into cardiac arrest and he ended up in cardiac arrest for between 45 minutes to an hour," said Michael Pizzo, Mikey's father.
In an area with few trauma care resources for children, the pediatric intensive care unit at Ventura County Medical Center had recently opened. Once Mikey arrived, Dr. Jesse Wyatt with Pediatrix Critical Care of California cooled his body to preserve his brain function.
"We did our best to to mobilize all our resources and stabilize so we can get him down to CHLA," Wyatt said, referring to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Doctors said Mikey suffered from seizures and hypoxia. They weren't sure he would pull through.
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"About the sixth or seventh day he started to open his eyes again," said Michael Pizzo.
The brain damage caused motor control loss and vision impairment. Mikey can't swallow, so he uses a feeding tube. But through specific rehab therapy such ABM NeuroMovement, he can communicate and interact.
With a mix of conventional and cutting edge regimens, such as laser and stem-cell therapy, his parents have seen progress they've never dreamed of.
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The Pizzo family created a website not only to track Mikey's journey but also to be an invaluable resource for other families experiencing similar traumas.
"Being advocates for children with head injuries and the research, they were able to make many connections," Wyatt said.
"The website can help somebody who has no medical experience and no knowledge about brain injuries. It can get the basics answered about what it is to have a brain injury," Michael Pizzo said.
Mikey's family hopes their experience will help guide others and give them hope.