We were honored to have Eddie join us for Family Advocacy Week in 2022. Through this event, Eddie and his family discussed his health journey, and why Medicaid Matters in his healthcare. Eddie was born premature at 23 weeks and weighed one and half pounds. Doctors diagnosed him with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a form of chronic lung disease that can be common in low birth weight and premature infants. “The first six months in the hospital were very difficult,” says Theresa, Eddie’s mother. “Doctors were watching him closely. They performed a tracheostomy to help him breathe better, but Eddie’s respiratory system was very fragile.” Eventually Eddie was placed ...