‘He’s got a big, bright future.’ A 3-year-old returns to Macon from Atlanta hospital

Jace Tolliver, of Macon, has spent his short life in and out of the hospital.

He was born with VATER Syndrome and pulmonary hypertension, which causes him respiratory issues, in August 2016.

In the fall of 2019, he was admitted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with pneumonia and stayed for three months. His care included intubation and a tracheotomy to help him breathe.

“I just was like crying and hysterical because I didn’t want to give him a trach because I was so scared of the big life change for not only him, but for myself and my family as well,” said Nakesha Wilkerson, Jace’s mother. “It’s definitely been a struggle. It was a big life change for me and for him and my family as well.”

Wilkerson was worried a trach would prevent Jace from playing with his brothers and doing things a typical 3-year-old does to have fun because he would have a ventilator machine attached to him, she said.

However, Jace’s physical therapist at Children’s, Bethany Eicholtz, found a solution to help Jace regain some of his independence and be able to go home.

“A big part of what we do as therapists is getting kids to see past their circumstances in the hospital,” Eicholtz said. “All of our notes are all about making goals for these kids and getting them to really believe that they can get back to doing things that they once did.”

Eicholtz said they had a previous NICU patient whose mother said she received a donated Trader Joe’s shopping cart to help carry the ventilator, so Eicholtz wanted to see if this solution would work for Jace.

“Jace is a very fun, feisty kid. He’s very motivated to move and play,” Eicholtz said. “He wanted to walk so much.”

After Eicholtz called a few Trader Joe’s, she was able to secure a donation of the shopping cart from the Trader Joe’s in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.

“He loves the cart,” Wilkerson said. “It does make him a little bit more mobile.”

Before the trach, Eicholtz worked with Jace and his mother to keep him comfortable in his hospital bed and help his lungs get stronger, she said.

Because Jace is a fan of wrestling and Spider-Man, she would work those topics into his physical therapy to keep him motivated.

“We love Bethany. She’s very, very good at what she does,” Wilkerson said. “She was the one person who could get him up. He loves her.”

Although Eicholtz said they did have to modify Jace’s movements because of the trach, she wanted to help him participate in the activities that he loves doing as much as possible.

Jace returned home with his new shopping cart, trach and ventilator in February, and although Jace might need the trach for the rest of his life, the long term plan is to get Jace’s lungs strong enough to breathe on their own, Eicholtz said.

“I think he’s got a big, bright future,” Eicholtz said.

Although Jace can’t run around with his brothers and play like he used to, Wilkerson said he is a funny, outgoing and smart little boy who is still very entertaining to be around.

“I just want to say Children’s is a great hospital. They made me feel welcomed, and they took care of Jace,” Wilkerson said. “I’m grateful that they took Jace on, and I’m grateful they care for him because I feel so much better about the decision I made to give him the trach.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 8:00 AM.