3 year old Maliq Nunez was born with a rare condition called Tracheomalacia - a condition commonly known as a "floppy windpipe."
It limits his ability to breathe, forcing him to respire through a tube in his throat. His mother has had a difficult time with it, as he requires constant attention in the event that the tube becomes clogged or is accidentally taken out. It is a serious concern, and she came to our studios today with a plea for support:..
Kandy Martin, Pleading Mother
"He was diagnosed with Tracheomalacia, floppy windpipe, so a couple of days after he was born they inserted a trake in him so that he could breathe good on his own. If the trake come out my child could die. The other day he took out the trake himself because he have like a belt strap around his neck and so he just took it off and he went to my mother and gave her the trake."
"Panicking, I didn't know what to do and so I call for an ambulance. Whenever the weather changes he is in and out of the hospital. It's not something that I can prevent. I just try to keep him warm and comfortable. When the weather changes the trake starts to act up - it gets cloggy, no matter what you do clean it gets clog."
"I am still learning about the trake, about how to deal with it on a whole because he is a very active child and he cannot go to school because of the trake. I stay at home and attend to him around the clock because he is a real handful."
Maliq's mother is asking anyone who can help or provide information to call 602-8815. We spoke to the child's doctor today who told us that Maliq will need surgery, while others with experience tell us say that it is something that he will likely outgrow.
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