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El Paso Children’s Hospital expands care with 26 new pediatric care rooms and region’s first ever Epilepsy Monitoring Unit [1]
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Date: 2024-10-10
Isabella (Bella) was given just one year to live, and this year, she celebrated her 11th birthday.
The journey began on Mother’s Day weekend when Bella was just 2 months old, and she had her first seizure.
“Mother’s Day is still very emotional for me,” said her mother, Araceli. “That was the weekend it all began, but I am also thankful and celebrate every Mother’s Day I have with all three of my girls.”
Bella has a complex seizure disorder and developmental delay with an unknown cause. She was born perfectly healthy, but the first seizure was the start of a very long journey for Bella, her mom, dad, sisters, and the entire family.
Bella is non-mobile and non-verbal and has many chronic health conditions that lead to a lack of control of her seizures, so having the experts from El Paso Children’s Hospital nearby is important.
When Bella was first diagnosed, the family often had to travel to get the specialized care she needed. She has received care in four states from more than 17 different specialists.
“The older she gets, the harder it is for us to travel,” Araceli said. “We are fortunate that as Bella is growing, so is El Paso Children’s Hospital. She now has almost every specialty she needs under one roof.”
The new 8th Floor adds services vital to Bella’s care
First look at El Paso Children’s Hospital 8th floor and Epilepsy Monitoring Units. (Photo by EPCH)
EPCH continues to grow. This October, the hospital is opening a new patient care unit on the previously vacant eighth floor. This expansion covers 24,000 feet with 16 general pediatric rooms, and 10 intermediate care unit rooms, including two specialized epilepsy monitoring unit rooms. This will be the first of its kind in the region, filling a much-needed void in our community. El Paso Children’s Hospital expects to care for over 250 pediatric seizure cases per year with this new floor.
Bella’s mom is excited about adding intermediate care beds and the specialized unit together on the same floor. She said, “This new floor is so important to me. Right now, Bella spends a lot of time in the pediatric intensive care unit. Now, the IMCU and the EMU are next to each other.”
The EMU will allow Bella to have her seizures monitored around the clock so the physicians can diagnose the types of seizures she is having, allowing them to provide her with the appropriate care. The IMCU will give Bella the complex care she needs but is designed for longer-term stays, which is important as Bella often has longer stays at El Paso Children’s Hospital, once as long as 27 days.
2024 Children’s Miracle Network child
Bella is El Paso Children’s Hospital Miracle Child for the Annual Children’s Miracle Network campaign in the El Paso area. Bella’s mom is honored to represent El Paso Children’s Hospital as an ambassador for 2024.
“At one point, I was a tender young mother trying to navigate this scary illness,” she said. “I had to learn a lot about the care Bella needed, as did her sisters. I hope that by Bella being the 2024 Children’s Miracle Network ambassador, we can educate and encourage other parents. There is hope.”
More than just a medical team
“I no longer see the people at El Paso Children’s Hospital as a medical team,” Araceli said. “They are family.”
Because of the time Bella spends at El Paso Children’s Hospital, her mother explained that the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists know what works and what doesn’t work for Bella.
“It always makes me feel welcome and, most importantly, safe,” she said. “They always go above and beyond, not just for Bella but for mom, dad, and her sisters. There have been moments when my heart is being shattered, yet everyone has such a caring touch; it changes everything.”
For more information about The El Paso Children’s Hospital Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, visit
https://elpasochildrens.org/emu/.
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[1] Url:
https://elpasomatters.org/2024/10/10/el-paso-childrens-hospital-expands-care-with-26-new-pediatric-care-rooms/
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