Meet Isai: The best care is both physical and emotional

Isai’s accident was a life-altering moment that’s led to four different surgeries – and many hours of supportive therapies. 

In the summer of 2023, 6-year-old Isai went to a birthday party. A group of kids started playing tag outside. Suddenly, Isai was screaming. A metal pole that had been leaning up against a building had fallen on his head.  

When the ambulance couldn’t find the rural house where the birthday party was hosted, his dad drove him to the nearest hospital. Later, Isai was helicoptered to Children’s Health℠ in Dallas for more comprehensive care.   

Isai’s accident was a life-altering moment that’s led to four different surgeries – and many hours of supportive therapies.  

But from the moment Isai and his family first walked through the doors at the Emergency Department at Children’s Health, they’ve always felt deeply cared for by each member of his care team, including neurosurgeons, nurses, physical and occupational therapists and Child Life specialists.   

“When we first arrived, we were terrified. But seeing how well Isai has been cared for has alleviated some of the fear and hardship from everything we've undergone. At Children's Health, I always know that Isai is going to be OK – and that each of his medical procedures are getting us one step closer to where we need to be,” said Isai’s mom, Alejandra.

A terrifying accident requires emergency and long-term care 

Over the next few weeks that summer, Isai went into the operating room three times. The first was to give him a prosthetic eye because the injury had left him without sight in his left eye. The second was to stop a small brain hemorrhage in the back of his brain. And the third was to place several metal plates in his forehead, cheekbones and nose to repair complex bone fractures.  

Then, about a year later, Isai returned to the operating room for a fourth surgery – to help control and monitor an infection he developed from one of the metal plates and maintain vision in his right eye.  

For each of Isai's procedures, his entire care team made sure of two things: 

1. Isai kept a positive mindset. 
2. Isai felt comfortable and understood what was happening at all times.

Keeping a positive mindset with play as “therapy” 

Overnight, Isai went from being a playful, sporty, independent 6-year-old to a child who relied on a wheelchair to move around.  

“Seeing that dramatic change in him was very, very hard. But he needed to be in a wheelchair to keep him from moving around too much because of his vision and balance challenges,” Alejandra said.  

Members of his physical therapy and occupational therapy teams found ways for him to focus on the positive, even in a wheelchair. They helped him see that he could still play racquetball or kick a ball – and interact and have fun with other kids in the hospital. In the face of a long, difficult road ahead, they helped Isai feel OK, which helped his mom feel OK.

“They got him to see what was possible. At first, Isai, who has ADHD and a strong will with a short temper would say, ‘I can’t.’ But they kept redirecting him and saying, ‘Yes, yes you can.’ So he’d try again. And when he was finally able to kick the ball, he’d just completely light up,” Alejandra said.  

Minimizing Isai’s anxiety before surgery  

At the ER in their local hospital, Alejandra noted that being in a hospital setting was instantly overwhelming for Isai. But the providers at Children's Health seemed to know how to help Isai feel more comfortable, gain his trust and talk to him in the ways he needed.  

“Before every procedure, the Child Life team would come in and let Isai know what was going to happen. They’d bring in the medical equipment they’d be using and show it to him,” Alejandra said. “They’d explain things at just the right level for him – in advance. That really helped lower his anxiety.” The team would even let him know that they could come back to do certain medical procedures – if he didn’t feel quite ready.  

Child Life specialists also brought therapy dogs to calm and entertain Isai. And they distracted him with fidget toys or coloring books.  

“Before his last procedure, Isai told me that the nurse talked to him the same way that I do. That may have been a coincidence. But it’s likely because of the time they’d taken to get to know him and because of his adaptive coping plan, which spells out what makes him stressed and how to best communicate with him,” Alejandra said.  

Alejandra also recalls the day one of his nurses brought the Minecraft console to his room when he was too sick to go down to the hospital’s Play Zone – and how excited Isai was to be able to play his favorite video game.

“I’ve felt so blessed to know that not only are Isai’s complex medical needs taken care of, but also his social and emotional well-being,” Alejandra said.  

Whole-patient and whole-family support 

Working with social workers at Children’s Health, Isai’s family was able to qualify for financial assistance to help cover the costs of the procedures their private insurance would not cover. The social work team was also able to help with hefty gas bills commuting to and from the family’s home almost two hours away from the Dallas hospital.  

On the last day of Isai’s final procedure, the social work team arranged for the family to stay at the Ronald McDonald house, which provides lodging and meals nearby the hospital. Social Work and Child Life services such as these make life easier for kids and families experiencing the unthinkable and come at no-cost, thanks to philanthropic gifts.   

Isai’s mom, a second-grade teacher, has been grateful for these extra layers of care and for the many people who’ve helped Isai get what he’s needed.  

“It’s been incredible to know that anytime we have a procedure, we're always going to have the help and support we need,” she said.  

On the continued road to recovery 

Isai, now 7-years-old, is doing “amazing.” His visual scanning, peripheral vision, balance and memory have greatly improved, and he’s back to playing soccer at recess again. Academically, he’s also thriving.     

Because of his therapies, Isai went from not reading at all at the end of last year to almost reading at grade level. His mom believes that’s because he’s been so well taken care of by the team at Children’s Health – physically and emotionally. 

Isai still looks forward to weekly play therapy sessions at the hospital when he gets to return to his “second home.” Alejandra loves seeing his enthusiasm and confidence soar after play therapy, when he emerges to declare, “Mom, I scored a soccer goal!”  

"To witness my son’s healing after such an unthinkable accident is a gift I can hardly put into words. The incredible care he receives at Children’s Health has turned fear into hope, and today, I am forever thankful for the hands that helped restore his life. And I am grateful for the generosity of donors, whose support made his recovery possible,” Alejandra said. 

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