JACE'S STORY

Active, happy, strong-willed and independent easily describe little Jace "The Beast" Rodriguez, even after one unthinkable spring morning. An early-riser and natural busybody, Jace got up with his mom and wandered playfully in and out of the kitchen while she cooked breakfast for the family. With a careful eye on her son, who skipped out of the kitchen, Jace's mother carefully set a hot pan next to the sink and turned around to finish the rest of breakfast. Seconds later, a large scream echoed throughout the house, waking Jace's 10 year-old sister. To his mother's horror, Jace had sneaked back into the kitchen and curiously pulled the pan off the counter, pouring hot bacon grease on his face and down his tiny body.

Immediately, Jace's distraught parents and older sister teamed up and called 911 while quickly removing his clothes. They placed him in the sink and poured cold, flowing water over his burns before the paramedics arrived and whisked him to a nearby burn center. There, his parents learned the horrifying news that it could be months before Jace would complete treatment, if ever at all, with multiple surgeries and heavy medications. The Rodriguez's nightmare was just beginning.

Within days of his injury, Jace underwent two skin graft surgeries and required more oxygen with ventilation assistance. Though his burns were healing, Jace quickly developed respiratory problems and experienced bronchial spasms. CHOC critical care doctors Ronald Bronicki, M.D., and Anthony Cherin, M.D., along with Paul Lubinsky, M.D., Associate Director of the PICU, came to care for Jace at the burn center and discovered through chest x-rays that there were leaks in his lungs that required chest tubes. After Jace required 100 percent ventilation and showed no signs of improvement, he was transported, upon recommendation from Dr. Cherin to CHOC - his last hope for survival.

That pivotal 10-minute ride to CHOC seemed like days for Jace's parents, especially for his dad Jason who was tailing the ambulance by car. In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at CHOC, James Cappon M.D., Medical Director of the CHOC Transport Team and critical care doctor, and Jason Knight M.D., critical care doctor, joined forces with Dr. Bronicki and Dr. Lubinsky to care for Jace. Together, with their expertise and experience in caring for the sickest of children, this team of specialists devised a successful treatment plan for Jace. And, within 24 hours at CHOC, Jace shocked physicians and family members by showing marked signs of improvement - remarkable considering he was given only a 10 percent chance of survival. Of course, his family and the staff at CHOC knew that Jace's tremendous spirit, earning him his nickname "The Beast," worked in his favor.

Miracles happen every day at CHOC, and Jace's story is no exception. The day after Mother's Day, Jace, finally able to breathe on his own, was taken off his ventilators. And just 13 days after being admitted to CHOC, Jace was on his way home.

Today, Jace is running, laughing and playing, just like the old days. He shows no signs of his near-death experience and is living up to his nickname - "The Beast."