If you ask Charita about her daughter, she won’t start by telling you about ventilators or tracheostomies.
She’ll tell you about the music.
She’ll tell you how Anaya throws her head back when Beyoncé comes on. How Mariah Carey gets her moving. How even an oldies station can turn an ordinary afternoon into a dance party. She’ll tell you Anaya has always been a grandpa’s girl and that no one can make her smile quite like him.
Because before Anaya is a patient, she’s Anaya.
Recently, Charita brought Anaya to Totally Kids for a ventilator optimization (also known as vent tune-up) stay, coordinated through Dr. Eguchi and the Home Mechanical Ventilation (HMV) Program at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. As the program’s Medical Director, Dr. Eguchi works closely with Totally Kids to help coordinate care for patients requiring long-term ventilatory support.
“He keeps it straight,” Charita warmly shares. “He always encourages me to ask questions and makes me feel seen and understood, even if I disagree with him.”
The stay itself was more involved than a typical clinic visit. Over 24 to 48 hours, Totally Kids’ interdisciplinary team kept a close eye on Anaya’s respiratory status, her ventilation trends, oxygen needs, sleep, and comfort, fine-tuning her settings in a controlled environment before she headed home. Every recommendation ran through Dr. Eguchi and his team, so changes could be evaluated right away, based on how Anaya was responding, not just a snapshot from one appointment. Charita was there for all of it, walked through each adjustment and what it meant for Anaya’s equipment and care at home.
Another heartfelt moment Charita recalled was being recognized by a familiar face.
“I remember you! What brings you back to Totally Kids?” asked Totally Kids Chief Operating Officer Pauline Hennessey, breaking into a smile the second she saw them.
It had been years. Anaya was younger the last time she’d been through these doors, back when she attended Totally Kids’ daycare program for children with medically complex needs. She’s 20 now, yet, Pauline recognized them instantly. Charita didn’t expect that. A face, remembered, after all this time.
“It’s something small but it really made me feel remembered and I was happy to see Pauline!” she shared.
Charita continues to be a fierce advocate for her daughter, the kind who asks questions and wants a team that treats her like she knows Anaya best, because she does. Twenty years of showing up will do that. It’s made her sharp, funny, and completely unwilling to settle for care that doesn’t see Anaya as a whole person.
“When you trust the people caring for your child, it gives you peace. Seeing Dr. Euguchi and having Pauline remember us after all these years reminded me how important those relationships really are.” shares Charita.
Their visit to Totally Kids lasted only a short time, but it reinforced something Charita has learned over the years: exceptional healthcare isn’t only clinical expertise. It’s about relationships. It’s about seeing the young woman who loves Beyoncé, dances with her grandfather, and lights up every room she enters and not just the equipment she relies on or the care she needs. Because behind every diagnosis is a person with a story worth knowing. At Totally Kids, that’s the story we strive to remember.