By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER About 3 1/2 years ago, Maiza Pearl Day was born with a rare congenital defect called Tracheoesophageal Fistula with Esophageal Atresia. Since then, the 3-year-old has struggled with eating, and is confined to a soft food diet. Development delays resulted from this, such as chewing and swallowing properly, so Maiza has experienced choking. Aside from her diet limitations at home, Maiza also has undergone three major surgeries. “So much of our life revolves around safely feeding Maiza—before Maiza, a meal wasn’t something that we would give a second thought to,” said Maiza’s mother Kate who left her job to care for her daughter. “During the holidays we eat separate from our family because she can’t be distracted while eating, and she also can’t eat so many foods.” In addition, Maiza has to avoid exposure to simple, everyday germs. “A minor cold can evolve into a two-week stay in a hospital, as she develops pneumonia easily,” said Kate. For Maiza, it also has been difficult to spend a lot of time in the hospital, as all three of her surgeries were invasive. Her parents said, overall, their daughter has spent more than six months of her […]
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