ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For one local mother and her family, the best gift this Christmas wasn’t under the tree. He was perched next to it, and wrapped in blankets rather than paper.
After a total of thirteen days in the hospital, 2-month-old Sebastian was released and home in time for Christmas.
Along with the sounds of children ripping open gifts this morning, Jessica Martinez and her family also heard the beep of the baby's oxygen and heart monitor.
“That’s the beeping it makes there. If his oxygen drops, if his heart rate drops, or goes up, it automatically beeps," explained Jessica.
The mother of six has had a tough and long December.
“He actually collapsed in my arms--went limp, lips went purple. His stomach was in with no movement. He was lifeless."
At 5-weeks-old, Sebastian had a number of viruses including viral meningitis and bronchiolitis.
With her baby in the hospital, Jessica had to borrow a car from a friend to visit him. She currently is homeless and is staying with her best friend and her three children.
“Horrible. Horrible, because of everything that was going on. It was the worst thing that could happen at the time that everything else was going on. It’s just the last thing that you could ever do. I have five others who have all been healthy. So watching him, and not being able to do anything. It’s hard," Jessica said.
But, just in time for Christmas, Sebastian was released home with an oxygen tank to deal with lingering rhinovirus.
"The day that I got to bring him home was just amazing because I’ll sit here all day. And be a mom and watch him. And make sure that he’s safe. Because I felt like a piece of me was gone while he was gone," said Jessica.
Her family completed, by Christmas morning.
“It’s because I have a reason to smile. I have six beautiful reasons to smile. But, especially this one.”
The hope is to have Sebastian off of oxygen in the next couple of weeks once the virus passes.
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