Four-Year-Old Christian Caruso to Be Released from Franciscan Hospital for Children after Remarkable Recovery

WHO/WHAT:  On Wednesday, October 7, 4-year-old Christian from Weston, Mass. will be discharged from Franciscan Hospital for Children, where he has spent the last 13 months recovering from a virus that led to an autoimmune response of severe swelling and lesions in his spinal cord.

Prior to August 2014, Christian was a healthy and active 2 1/2-year-old boy. Everything changed on Aug. 12, 2014, when an autoimmune response to a virus sent Christian to the Massachusetts General Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where he lay paralyzed and intubated for weeks. When Christian then arrived at Franciscan, he was on a ventilator day in and day out. He had very limited movement, causing him pain and discomfort, and he wasn’t even capable of speaking for months.

More than a year after arriving at Franciscan Hospital for Children, Christian is now standing, trying to walk, moving both of his hands and his right arm, and is now completely off his ventilator. He is talking non-stop and has started to eat small amounts of solid food again.

A comprehensive Franciscan Hospital for Children team has worked with Christian these past 13 months to make all of this possible, improving his mobility and strength, helping him breathe on his own again without a ventilator, and training him to walk without the assistance of a wheelchair. Through the help of this team and the support of his family, Christian will be discharged and get to return home.

WHEN:  Wednesday, October 7, 2015 12 p.m.

WHERE: Franciscan Hospital for Children | 30 Warren Street | Brighton, MA 02135

**Media are invited to meet and speak with Christian, his family and his care team from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. during this inspirational sendoff. Please park in Parking Lot B**

Media Contacts:
Mary Zanor, Regan Communications
617-488-2893, mzanor@regancomm.com

Kaitlyn Buscone, Regan Communications
617-488-2868, kbuscone@regancomm.com

About Franciscan Hospital for Children

Franciscan Hospital for Children, located in Boston’s neighborhood of Brighton, is the leading pediatric rehabilitation center in New England.  The hospital offers medical, behavioral and educational services for children with complex issues requiring interdisciplinary care. For more information on the hospital, visit www.franciscanchildrens.org, find it on Facebook or follow it on Twitter @FranciscanHFC.