LOUISVILLE, Ky. — What started as a trip to the ER for Cindy Perkins, and at the time, her 15-month-old son, Jayden, soon became a battle to save his life.

While he was brought in for difficulty breathing, doctors realized quickly it was a much more serious situation but couldn’t figure out what.

“They did multiple labs; everything kept coming back negative," Perkins said. "They just had their hands up in the air; it was like, 'Well, you don't really know why.'"

Jayden was then put on life support, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. It was during this time that doctors found out he had plastic bronchitis, a disease where tough, rubbery material builds up in the airways.

After Jayden was taken off the ECMO, he was breathing on his own, but the right side of his body wasn’t mo

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