MCALLEN, Texas (KVEO) — 14-year-old Emilian Sosa from McAllen enjoys playing the violin, but now he plays the violin over Zoom for his mother who has been hospitalized for the past three weeks battling COVID-19.
“Right now she is intubated. COVID-19 did great damage to my mom’s lungs, they have not been able to recover ever since,” said Emilian Sosa.
Emilian said with some help he did some research and found a treatment called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy (ECMO).
“You have to put a large catheter in a person’s main blood vessels. You bring the blood out of the body, you run it through this machine that puts oxygen into the blood, and takes out the carbon dioxide,” said Dr. James Castillo, Cameron County Health Authority. “Then it puts it back in the body, it’s basically an artificial lung that’s outside the body.”
The therapy is used on extremely sick patients, but there is no ECMO program in the Rio Grande Valley, so Calderon would have to be flown out by helicopter.
“It’s such an involved program, but for the places where they do have this intervention it can be life-saving when all else fails,” said Dr. Castillo.
Desperate for help, Emilian wrote a letter to Governor Greg Abbott begging for the treatment. Sosa must still find a hospital willing to do the treatment, and his mother is uninsured. To help with medical expenses and cost Sosa has started a Go Fund Me.
Governor Abbott responded to Sosa’s letter and confirmed on Twitter that the proper equipment will be offered to his mother.
“It’s a blessing that God has given us, to help my mom move on from this situation, and come back home with me,” said Emilian.
If you would like to help Emilian Sosa and his mother click here to donate.