TOPEKA (KSNT)- Last year, Callahan Davis was born in Topeka, when doctors at Stormont Vail discovered he was born without a trachea.
April 11th marks one year of his fight against tracheal agenesis. Callahan spent the past year at different hospitals around the country. From Stormont Vail to Children’s Mercy to Children’s Wisconsin. His family says the staff became family to them, and they credit the hospitals for saving his life.
“I consider some of the nurses and everything in Wisconsin like our second family. The nurses kept me updated all night because it was right down the hallway,” said Callahan’s mother, Raiven Davis. “I mean, I just, we’ve met some really, really great people up there.”
One in 50,000 people are born with tracheal agenesis. Most cases won’t make it more than a few hours after birth. But Callahan was intubated immediately, allowing him to breathe with medical assistance.
“Any little connection that he was breathing through because he was essentially breathing through a straw. Up until September 23rd,” said Raiven Davis.
“Yeah. Because it was that little airway that they went through. It was one centimeter by three millimeters,” said Callahan’s father, Jacob Davis.
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The journey has been tough for him and his family. Although Callahan will never be able to speak, his family is dedicated to communicating with him. So, they are challenging themselves to learn sign language.
“TARC has been amazing for us. We could not have landed in a better area, yea TARC is just amazing,” said Jacob Davis.
Callahan’s father says they could not have made it this far without the outpouring love and support they are receiving from the community.
“We cannot thank the community enough,” said Jacob Davis. “We would not have made it through last year if it weren’t for the community.”
This summer, Callahan is having an operation that his family hopes will be his last. But right now, they say he is happy, healthy, and thriving.
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