CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) — Julian Maldonado was taken to Driscoll Children's Hospital with what was believed to be a stomach virus. It turned out to be a potentially deadly infection.
Had his parents not taken him to Driscoll when they did, Julian could have died.
"Sometimes I can get frustrated, say like when I was first learning to run," Julian said. "I wasn't as good as I am now."
Julian is now going through the paces of ongoing physical therapy at Driscoll Children's Hospital.
"I was one of the first people to force him to sit up," Physical Therapist Mandy Alaniz said.
Alaniz has been working with Julian since day one and said he has made great strides since he first came through the emergency room.
What was thought to be a stomach virus turned out to be an overwhelming infection.
"He had an infection within the abdomen and this is, was severe," Dr. Jaime Fergie said. "It was a rather sudden onset and it was very evident from the beginning that this was a life threatening situation for him."
After several surgeries and the loss of his leg, Julian has made a remarkable recovery.
"Amazing. He's been doing really well," Julian's mother said. "His confidence has gotten a lot better, like as he progresses. He joined a baseball team so he's playing baseball right now. He just tried out for seventh grade swim team and he made it. He's just like pushing himself."
"We started with crutches and no prosthetic, and so we started with just teaching him to use crutches and get around, not in a wheelchair," Alaniz said. "So then he got his new prosthetic leg and so we got it and we learned how to use it with crutches, and then he had to get off the crutches walking. And then this boy has been crazy. I've had a hard time keeping up with him because he gets so good so fast!"
For Julian and his family, the folks at Driscoll are always there for them.
"They check in on him," Julian's mother said. "We see them out, you know, in the community and you know we always catch up with each other, and it's very nice and heartwarming."
You can donate to Driscoll Children's Hospital for all of the work they do for our children by visiting driscollchildrens.org.
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