Gov. Abbott Steps Up to Help Edinburg Family Fight COVID-19
One 14-year-old Texas teen recently had his cries heard, and not by just a random passerby. Emiliano Sosa took to battle this past week to fight for his mother's life. According to San Antonio's KENS5, Sosa's mother, Erika Calderon, has been in the hospital for more than three weeks as she continues to battle the coronavirus.
His mother has been hooked up to a ventilator and intubated as she continues to fight for her life. However, in a Facebook post, Emiliano admits the treatment she is on does not seem to be working.
Sosa took things into his own hands and began doing some lengthy research in order to save his mother. He came to the conclusion that his mother’s best bet may be extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, otherwise known as ECMO. This type of treatment allows the patient’s heart and lungs to take a break.
However, Emiliano was mt with a HUGE problem: this potentially life-saving treatment was not offered at the DHR Health COVID-19 Unit in Edinburg, Texas that his mother is at. To receive this type of care and treatment, Calderon would need to transfer to a hospital in a bigger city, such as San Antonio, Houston, or Dallas, which has more complex tools that are better equipped to treat the coronavirus.
Stressed and worried, Emiliano began to reach out to every outlet he could think of to help save a mother's life who has raised him by herself. He posted a Facebook video asking for donations to help cover helicopter transfer costs, which could run up to $20,000. The family set up a GoFundMe page and utilized Zelle to help generate donations.
He didn't stop there; Emiliano skipped all the middlemen and went straight to the Texas government asking for help. The 14-year old teen wrote to Governor Abbott asking for help to transfer his mother, explaining her situation. Emiliano, whose birthday is just a few days away, expressed how getting this treatment for his mother would be the best birthday present he could ever possibly receive.
The best part? Gov. Abbott responded!
The governor tweeted Wednesday that the Texas Department of Emergency Management had located the equipment needed to treat Calderon, and a team of Houston doctors was flown to Edinburg to assess her condition. It has already been confirmed that Calderon has been transported to Houston Hermann Memorial Hospital, where she will receive the potentially life-saving treatment.
The love of her family, friends, and an outpour of support from the public and Texas government has nudged one teenage boy one step closer to getting his mother back home.