Hendrix Ayala was diagnosed with a massive omphalocele when his mother was in her second trimester
NEED TO KNOW
- A 2-year-old boy’s health is taking an optimistic turn after being diagnosed with a rare abdominal defect during his mother’s second trimester
- Hendrix Alaya’s improvement began after undergoing treatment that involved Botox
- “He’s achieving some milestones that we did not have before,” Hendrix’s physician, Dr. Ulises Garza Serna, told Iowa news station KCCI
A 2-year-old boy is making major strides in his health thanks to a treatment involving Botox.
Hendrix Alaya of central Iowa was diagnosed with a massive omphalocele during his mother, Riley Alaya's, second trimester, she recalled to local news station KCCI.
"I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to think it was real," she said. "They did state termination at 20 weeks. And I was like, I cannot do that."
Omphalocele is a "condition in which a baby’s abdominal organs develop outside their belly," per the Cleveland Clinic. In Hendrix's case, his intestines, spleen, liver and stomach were outside of his body, unprotected.
An omphalocele is considered large if it measures more than 5 centimeters. Hendrix's was nearly 10 centimeters, and had surpassed the size of a grapefruit by the time he was 18 months old, per KCCI.
Dr. Ulises Garza Serna of MercyOne Des Moines recommended a groundbreaking treatment to help Hendrix's rare condition, which involved Botox.
Riley said she faced skepticism when telling others Hendrix was having the treatment.
"I would tell people we were going to get Botox and they were like, 'How does that help?' I'm like, 'I know. Trust me, I put it in the doctor's hands.' "
Hendrix has since had two surgeries and is "achieving milestones that we did not have before," Garza Serna, who is the first physician to use the method in Iowa, told KCCI.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Hendrix, whose favorite things include macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and cars, continues to recover and improve his mobility as he's learning to walk with physical therapy. "He is thriving. He's growing slowly but surely," the toddler's mother said.
Looking ahead, his parents hope to help Hendrix, who weighs 20 pounds, keep his weight up before he undergoes more surgeries.
Garza noted that massive omphaloceles can often take years to treat and affect 1 in every 10,000 children.
Read the full article here
