Darleth

“Arteries and veins should not talk to each other,” explained Dr. Alfredo Maud, Neurointerventionist for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. “When they start to communicate abnormally, they create fistulas, or connections, that stress the entire body, including the brain, heart, lungs and overall nutritional health of the baby.

“The diagnosis marked the beginning of a long and uncertain journey for the Muñoz family.

After Darleth’s birth, her condition continued to worsen. By the time she returned to El PasoChildren’s Hospital as an infant, she was facing severe complications.

“Her brain was going into a melting situation, which was leading to refractory seizures,” Dr. Maud said.

The severity of Darleth’s condition presented extraordinary challenges. According to Dr. Maud, physicians reached out to some of the nation’s leading centers specializing in Vein of Galen malformations, but none were able to accept her case.

“When she arrived in that catastrophic state, we tried to connect with the main centers that have the highest experience in the country for Vein of Galen malformations,” he said. “However, none of them accepted Darleth because of the complexity and logistics involved, as well as the particular complexity of her case.”

For Erika, the months spent seeking treatment away from home were emotionally and physically exhausting.

“The truth is it was eight or nine months of agony out of El Paso,” she said. “Aside from this, I have three other children. It was really stressful because I also had to care for them, not just for her. So I made the decision to bring her back to El Paso Children’s, and I am very grateful because they have helped me so much.”

Returning to El Paso Children’s Hospital gave the family renewed hope. There, physicians from multiple specialties united to create a treatment plan tailored specifically to Darleth’s needs.

“We decided to take the bull by the horns,” Dr. Maud said. “We reunited multidisciplinary teams, including neurosurgery, pediatric neurology, neurointervention, pediatric intensive care, cardiac intensive care, anesthesia and cardiology. Together, we made an extraordinary effort that resulted in six or seven consecutive embolization procedures to tackle this vascular malformation.”

The planning involved extensive collaboration among physicians, nurses and support staff. Every aspect of Darleth’s care was carefully coordinated.

“We would rehearse and see exactly the route we were going to take for her procedures,” said Ana Alvarado, a Clinical Care Registered Nurse at El Paso Children’s Hospital. “Every little step, we worked together to determine the best way to give her a positive outcome.”

According to Erika, Darleth’s medical team made a promise from the beginning: they would care for her daughter as if she were their own child. What began as a complex medical case soon became deeply personal for the healthcare professionals involved.

Dr. Melendez-Zaidi said Darleth’s case highlighted the importance of specialized pediatric care and teamwork.

“When you have a patient who has such a complex disease, it really emphasizes why you need physicians who love taking care of kids and love taking care of their families,” he said. “That’s pediatrics, and that’s why you need a place that allows for the coordination of all those resources and interactions.

“The team’s efforts ultimately paid off.”

That resulted in stabilization of the brain, stabilization of the seizures, stabilization of the heart failure and stabilization of the liver failure,” Dr. Maud said. “It allowed a baby who was close to 9 months old to breathe by herself, come off the ventilator and finally be discharged home.”

For Erika, seeing her daughter recover felt nothing short of miraculous.

“I am left without words, to tell you the truth,” she said. “I am so grateful because this is my daughter that I had before. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. We are always going to remember you. I am always going to remind Darleth about what they did for her.”

Dr. Maud emphasized that Darleth’s successful outcome was the result of a collective effort.

“Outcomes like this are possible because of our nursing staff, our PICU staff and our administration behind this endeavor to provide the highest level of care for children with brain diseases,” he said. “But we also cannot measure enough the role of her mother, her little sisters and the family support throughout the entire process. The trust they gave us to care for Darleth’s brain was unparalleled.

“During her three-month stay at El Paso Children’s Hospital, colorful artwork created by Darleth’s older siblings decorated the walls of her hospital room. The drawings served as a daily reminder of the family waiting for her at home.

Today, Darleth is back where she belongs, surrounded by her loved ones.

“Look at us and where we arrived,” Erika said. “The effort that she put in,she is a strong girl. Ididn’t expect this, but she has proven to us how strong she is. I am so happy to be her mom.”

Darleth’s survival stands as a testament to the power of family, determination and the advanced pediatric care available at El Paso Children’s Hospital. Her story is one of hope, resilience and what can be achieved when a team refuses to give up on a child.