Matthew Horn
Our eleventh Inspirational Family is the Horn family. Matthew is a one and a half year old little boy from West Bloomfield, MI.
Matthew does not have one full diagnoses, but the doctors are saying he has Airway Malacia, which is a broad term to encompass many diagnoses all resulting in the collapsing of the airway: a Congenital Disorder of the Respiratory System and Sleep Apnea.
Matthew’s story began in 2016 at the end of May. The Horn family welcomed their third son into their family, making them a beautiful family of five. After a very safe, happy and healthy delivery, Matthew went home with his family. It was not until Matthew was almost three months old when they noticed his breathing continued to be extremely loud & difficult for him. They took him to his pediatrician who performed a chest x-ray, and diagnosed him with tracheomalacia. Tracheomalacia is a congenital defect that causes the trachea (mid airway) to become weak and floppy, and collapse while breathing. They were sent to Beaumont to have an airway fluoroscopy done , which is a continuous x-ray to get a better view of the airway. They found out that not only was his trachea collapsing, but his bronchi (lower airway) was as well. The family was reassured that they did not see Laryngomalacia. A few days later, they met with his first Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist who performed a scope, and ended up confirming that he did in fact, have Laryngomalacia. This meant that his upper airway was collapsing as well. Upon receiving this news they were told it was mild, and that he would “outgrow” it. Matthew’s entire airway was collapsing with every breath he took.
With Laryngomalacia, over 90% of cases resolve by the time a child reaches their second birthday, however, the stridor gets worse, before it gets better, so they have been told. It’s extremely rare to see a child with severe Laryngomalacia, especially one like Matthew, who was not “failing to thrive”. The family finally found a specialist to treat Matthew, Dr Green, who they fully believed saved Matthew’s life. He performed a bronchoscopy and saw that he did not have mild Laryngomalacia, he had severe Laryngomalacia. According to Children’s Hospital, only 1% of children have severe Laryngomalacia. Most cases of severe Laryngomalacia, require surgery – Matthew, required two. During each breath in, his airway was completely collapsing in on itself. Matthew can only have food that is made in a honey/pudding like consistency. Normal consistency of food causes Matthew to aspirate. This requires his parents to hand mix each bottle he has, and to make sure his food isn’t too thin or too thick. It has to be “just right”. Matthew can mostly only have bottles consisting of a certain amount of cereal and milk.
In 2017, the doctor ordered a Spinal MRI, which showed that Matthew had developed bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis is a progressive lung disease that causes permanent damage to the lower bronchi. Matthew’s bronchiectasis is believed to be caused by chronic aspiration of an unknown etiology. Bronchiectasis causes destruction to the bronchi walls. As the disease progresses, it causes the bronchi to dilate and weaken, providing a perfect habitat for bacteria to grow. Matthew has since, had multiple lower airway bacterial infections. The progression of this disease is catastrophic to the well being of his lungs. Unfortunately, unless the cause of the disease is controlled, the progression of the disease will not stop, and the long term well being of his lungs will continue to deteriorate. Matthew see’s doctors out of the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Boston’s Children’s Hospital on a regular basis. Matthew has a smile that is not only contagious but it will light up any room that you are in. He is a happy and fun loving little boy who enjoys smiling, laughing and playing hide-and-seek with his brothers. He especially loves music and to dance.
Matthew is the son to Jody and Kyle Horn and brother to Gavin & Mason.