01/08/2026
I knew this time would come: Kendric slowly transitioning into the adult world of medicine. It’s terrifying in many ways, especially given his complex medical history. Today marked the beginning of that transition as we were discharged from our first IWK paediatric clinic, the paediatric respiratory clinic with Dr. Mateos.
We first met Dr. Mateos on Christmas Eve in 2011, when Kendric was urgently transferred from our home hospital to the IWK. Kendric had pneumonia for a week and was quickly deteriorating. It was definitely one of the scariest moments in his health journey for me. Watching anyone struggle to breathe is heartbreaking and horrifying, especially when it's a child...when it's your child. I still remember that feeling of walking into the ER at the IWK after that long, noisy ambulance ride filled with beeping machines, dropping oxygen levels, and a very frightened little boy with no breath left to even shed a tear. Dr. Berman (forever a favourite) greeted us and immediately took charge. He quickly consulted Dr. Mateos, and I remember the overwhelming sense of relief knowing Kendric’s lungs were now in the hands of an expert. For a few days, things were definitely touch and go. We didn’t know if Kendric would need to be ventilated or transferred to the ICU. Slowly though, with the right treatment and in the hands of an incredible specialist, he began to improve...His breathing finally eased. Within the week, he was back on his feet, literally running the halls of the IWK again.
For 15 years, Dr. Mateos has been a core part of Kendric’s medical team. For those same 15 years, I had complete confidence that Kendric would never struggle to breathe again. Letting go of that certainty is something we are both going to have to adjust to.
I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Mateos and his team. Words don’t fully capture how grateful we are or how much we will miss having him as part of Kendric’s care.
