Personalized Asthmatic Treatment Restores 12 Year Olds Energy
Rocio Varela, age 12, has had asthma since she was three years old. Shehas experienced symptoms of wheezing, coughing, and chest pain that sent her to the emergency room many times and has been treated with high doses of steroids and other medications. Her asthma was unmanageable and she wasn’t able to enjoy being a normal kid so she came to Mount Sinai in search of a long-term treatment that would help her feel better.
Meeting the Mount Sinai Pulmonology Team
Rocio began her journey at Mount Sinai when she met Alfin Vicencio, MD at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Vicencio and his team knew that Rocio had allergic asthma and that special injections would make her feel better. They created a special personalized treatment plan that includes a combination of traditional asthma medications and a non-steroid injectable medication that helps decrease allergic responses. Nurse Practitioner Samantha Rose gives Rocio the shot. “She’s so warm and caring and always makes me feel better,” explains Rocio. “She always tells me what is going to happen and she always makes me feel comfortable. I trust her and I’ve never been scared or worried. She really cares and I can tell that she tries her best to minimize the pain I feel when she gives me the injections.”
Each time Rocio visits Mount Sinai, she also sees Diana Berkovits a technician who measures her growth and breathing abilities. “She is wonderful and always friendly and helpful,” says Rocio.
Thank You Mount Sinai
Rocio’s mom, Natalia Montoya says, “I'm so glad and grateful that we were referred to Mount Sinai Hospital, where finally my daughter could start feeling better. After taking so many different kinds of medicine and in really high dosages, it has been wonderful to find a treatment that works for her and makes her feel better. Everyone at Mount Sinai Hospital has been extraordinary to us. And I will be forever thankful to them for helping my baby.”
Rocio sums up her appreciation. “Mount Sinai has showed me that people care deeply to help others. I am so thankful for the endless support that surrounds me by the dedicated physicians and staff in the Mount Sinai Division of Pediatric Pulmonology. I have been feeling so much better and I don’t feel like my asthma controls me anymore. I can breathe so much more easily than before. I feel capable of doing anything I want without my asthma getting in the way. The team has encouraged me to do all the things I thought I could never do because of my asthma. I started doing karate again which I had to stop for a while. I’m also playing a lot of basketball and volleyball and now I really love racing too. I’ve also been going to the gym much more often, and I feel so much better and able to do it. For now, I go once a month to get my shots and I will continue this way to remain healthy. Thank you for everything Mount Sinai.”