The King Has Left The Building

King, a 5-year-old boy who continuously made other patients and staff at Totally Kids smile, has been discharged and is now home with his family! He may only be 5, but King does not lack charisma or the ability to show kindness towards others.

Admission to Totally Kids

King was admitted to the Totally Kids subacute facility approximately nine months after he was born. He and his twin brother were born prematurely. Upon admission, King had several diagnoses including failure to thrive, malabsorption, and toxic liver disease. Malabsorption made King’s body unable to absorb nutrients from his digestive system into his bloodstream. This meant that regardless of a balanced diet, he would continuously suffer from malnutrition.  

King was also found to have toxic liver disease with cholestasis, which made his body unable to absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins. This resulted in inadequate nutrition and failure to grow and gain weight. The challenges did not stop there. King also suffered from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a condition that usually affects premature babies, making it difficult for them to breathe.

Thriving at Totally Kids

Ask anyone at Totally Kids about King and you will hear about his constant smile, the backpack he liked to wear, and his walks around the hospital happily waving at everyone he saw and giving them a loud, “Hello!”

To get to that point took a concerted effort. Our doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists made sure King received the care he needed. This enabled him to meet the health outcomes set by his team, while also meeting age-appropriate development and growth milestones. King worked with physical, occupational, speech, and play therapists who monitored his development. In addition to therapy, King\’s time at Totally Kids included participating in daily activities organized by our Child Development team. 

King was a natural leader during play time. He often guided other children through activities, especially if they were shy or unwilling to participate. He modeled what they were supposed to do and encouraged them with pats on the back and a smile.

Going Home

After meeting his goals and developing into the energetic, strong boy that he is today, King was discharged and went home. The staff, patients, and residents of Totally Kids miss him greatly but we are happy King is at home with his family.

We are happy to say…the king has left the building! Come back and visit us soon, King!