Support Network
ECMO is still a unknown treatment for many across the U.S. and Internationally and unless you know someone personally who has been treated with ECMO, it's likely you don't know much about it.
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We've found it's often helpful for families and patients to connect with others who have been through similar experiences to ask questions and feel like they aren't alone in this journey. During Maria's recovery she was very interested in knowing how her recovery was going in comparison to others and throughout the entire process her family had a ton of questions about what to expect.
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If you are a survivor or caregiver interested in connecting with someone OR you are survivor or caregiver open to supporting someone who has questions, join our network!
Our Work: Helping the Littles
In late 2021 Brian Little contracted COVID and was placed on ECMO at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Through his care team, his wife Cindy was connected to Maria for support and to be given hope that Brian could make it through this health crisis. Cindy and Brian share their thoughts on how Maria's Miracle helped them.
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From Cindy:
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November 21, 2021 started a journey for my family and I that will be forever in our hearts and minds. My husband Brian almost lost his life. I will never forget how scared I was watching my husband code on the table. The doctor had told me there was not much hope. On November 23, 2021, my husband was transported by helicopter to John Hopkins Medical Center to be put on ECMO.
There was actually hope for our family to be whole again. When I was finally able to visit Brian, I talked to a person that was taking care of the ECMO machine and she told me all about someone named Maria. She said that Maria was in the same place my husband was in about a year ago and I should talk to her. I went home and found Maria on tik tok and messaged her right away. Maria was so kind she gave me such hope for my husbands recovery. Every time I felt sad and or worried I would just text Maria and she would put my mind at ease. Maria is like my angel here on earth. When Brian woke up she even visited him and gave him a goodie bag that he could use as he was getting stronger.
Fast forward to now and Maria is still here for my family and I. I am very concerned about Brian going back to work. Maria has put my mind at ease and told me about a medication that Brian can take if he gets Covid again. I really don’t know if I could have been as strong as I have been without Maria.
She has been more then a friend she has been in my family and I have never met her.
May God always bless Maria.
From Brian:
It was one of the many long days I spent in John Hopkins hospital due to Covid, when a nurse came in and said I had a special visitor today. I said ok and in walked Maria.
I didn’t know who she was at the time, but she told me who she was and that she talked to my wife Cindy. Maria talked so positively to me , and I could certainly tell from behind her mask she was smiling. She brought me a gift bag full of goodies, which I greatly appreciated very much. I didn’t know at the time of her visit, but I found her story online. Then I would go on to text her and ask a lot of questions about Covid. She was able to calm my fears knowing someone else had lived the same nightmare as mine. She also reassured me that I would continue to get well. I knew that for me after 44 days of ECMO and 5 long months of a hospital stay, that Maria, who was on ECMO longer, got well and made it. That gave me hope that I can get better and get my life back that Covid violently stole from me.
Thank you Maria. -Brian Little
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