A concerned mother from Long Island made some heart-wrenching yet clever choices during a tough summer that ultimately saved her young son’s life and helped identify a rare condition he has.
“Think about trying to breathe through different straws—like, first a milkshake straw, then a regular one, and finally a coffee straw,” Maria Karlin, 36, explained recently about her frightening experience with her 4-year-old son, Jack, last July.
She recalls reaching a point of realization: “The pitch isn’t changing. I know what’s next.” Then, just like that, his breathing stopped.
Karlin, a nurse at North Shore University Hospital, loaded her son into her car and rushed him to the hospital after he had been in distress the entire night but hadn’t shown any signs until suddenly he was struggling to breathe.
During the quick drive, Jack lost his ability to breathe entirely, and his mother faced an agonizing decision: either stop the car to perform CPR or keep going to the hospital.
Understanding that immediate resuscitation might not be sufficient and that Jack needed urgent procedures, she chose to continue driving.
“I heard him fall. I turned around and thought, ‘Don’t look back, Maria. You can’t bear to see this,'” she shared, fighting tears.
“Knowing there’s a child in the back seat who needs help—it’s something no one should have to endure.”
When she arrived at the emergency room, honking the horn for help, a team quickly surged to assist. They found Jack in cardiac arrest, his heart had stopped.
Emergency doctor Jennifer Gibb, who dashed to the scene after hearing Karlin’s cries, said she first saw “a lifeless child” who was pale and unresponsive.
She later admitted, “I didn’t know she was a nurse at that moment.” Hearing someone call out his name, “Jack,” sent chills down her spine, as it echoed her own son’s name.
After about ten minutes of treatment, Jack’s heartbeat returned, and Karlin described the moment as indescribable.
Jack was later transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center.
According to Dr. Gibb, in her 13 years of experience, cases like this were incredibly rare, with only a handful of child cardiac arrests occurring.
Further examinations revealed that Jack had laryngeal clefts, a condition that affects between 10,000 and 20,000 births annually.
Dr. Lee Smith explained, “This abnormality involves an opening at the back of the voice box, which can cause mucus or fluid to block airflow.”
Jack’s condition was quite unique, especially since he underwent corrective surgery without complications.
“I’ve never encountered anything quite like this. His situation was severe and highly unusual,” said Dr. Smith, reflecting on the dangerous loss of air.
Today, Jack is a cheerful pre-kindergarten boy, sharing life with his mom, dad, and siblings, Luke and Emma. The family is deeply thankful to the healthcare workers who helped create their happy ending.
Karlin remarked on the sadness of how low the survival rate is for children who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital.
After everything, she told her husband, “We’re going to Disney World. This kid is going to enjoy it!”
The Carlin family has just come back from that magical trip. Jack, along with his siblings and father, savored the joys of summer after a tough ordeal.
“I really liked the Slinky ride,” Jack shared. “And I’m excited to be at school.”
