Henry Jackson is a four-year-old boy from Lubbock, Texas who always has a big smile on his face. He is a strong little boy who is also very intelligent, loving and caring. Henry seemed to be a very healthy child when he was born, but in January of 2016 he had gotten so sick that his mother, Tiffani, took him to the ER where she was told Henry had pneumonia, RSV, and the flu all at the same time. He was in and out of the hospital for some time, even staying for almost two months straight because he was losing weight and his oxygen level was way below normal.
One day while waiting in the car at the pharmacy for Henry’s prescription, his mother heard him making weird sounds in his car seat, like he was having trouble breathing. When she got out to check on him, she found Henry choking on vomit, his face turning purple. Extremely scared and stressed, Tiffani shouted out, “My son needs help, my son needs help!” A nice woman in line behind them got out of her car to tell the employee in the window to call 911, and within five minutes an ambulance arrived.
When they got to the hospital Henry was quickly hooked up to so many machines, with what seemed like 30 doctors and nurses crowding the room. Tiffani was told that if she hadn’t gotten Henry to the hospital within 30 minutes he wouldn’t have made it. Henry stayed in the hospital for over a month and was diagnosed with reactive airway. Once he was feeling a little bit better, the doctors said he would have to be on oxygen 24 hours a day. That’s when Apple HMS entered into Henry and Tiffani’s lives. Now needing equipment like an oxygen tank, portable concentrator, and a pulse ox, Tiffani was grateful to have the RTs in the Lubbock office to guide her. She even put the office phone number on speed dial so she could contact them quickly at any time!
Nothing is easy when you have a sick child, and Henry’s mother has had to face a lot of challenges and sacrifices to make ends meet as a single mother. She says that Henry has come a long way since the beginning of his journey.
“I thought my child would never make it out of this situation but look at him now. He’s four years old and he’s accomplished so much in his little life and he will continue to be great. He’s had the oxygen around his nose since he was eight months old, and now that he’s four it’s just second nature to him.”
“My son has improved and overcome so much; adapting to being on oxygen 24/7 is a big accomplishment for him and learning how to carry his tank when he wants to play or move around at the park is so amazing.” Tiffani wants her son to be a motivation for other kids and adults who are on oxygen to never give up or lose hope. “I love my son with all my heart, and I will continue to do my best with taking care and raising him to be a splendid young man!”