For the first year of his life, Eli Bonham did not eat, drink or swallow like most infants.
Eli, or “Bubba” to his older brother, Ezekiel, and parents, Kendria and Keegan, was born with a rare birth defect called esophageal atresia. During his development, Eli’s esophagus did not connect to his stomach.
“I had normal ultrasounds and bloodwork during pregnancy. Nothing indicated that anything was wrong,” Kendria said.
But very quickly after Eli was born at home, Kendria and her midwife Sabrina realized something was wrong. Eli wasn’t breathing normally.
In the early hours of a July morning, Keegan rushed Eli to the hospital in Jefferson City, then rode with his son in an ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Columbia.
“We hadn’t been at Children’s Hospital very long, but his doctors had already seen that he had this condition,” Keegan said. “They were gearing up for surgery.”
Kendria got to the hospital before Eli’s surgery. She and Keegan sat down with pediatric and neonatal surgeon Rony Marwan, MD, to talk through the steps.
“Eli couldn’t swallow, and at first he needed breathing support,” Dr. Marwan said. “On day one of life, it’s very stressful for parents to hear their child needs surgery. But the quality of surgical care for esophageal atresia is very high at Children’s Hospital, even if the condition is not diagnosed prenatally, and we quickly got a team and a plan together for Eli.”
While he healed, Eli would need a feeding tube and routine suction to remove saliva from his esophageal pouch. The Bonhams were nervous, but trusted that Eli was in good hands.
“Before he went into surgery, Dr. Marwan sat down with us three or four times and drew out the surgery each time,” Kendria said. “I think I asked the same questions 20 times, and he answered it each time. He also made sure I got to hold Eli before all the chaos. That’s something I’ll always remember.”
Eli’s gap between his esophagus and his stomach was longer than 1.5 inches, about the length of a house key. Dr. Marwan and his team first used a specialized approach to get the two ends of Eli’s esophagus to become stronger and grow closer together.
As he grew, the distance narrowed, allowing Dr. Marwan and his team to safely connect his esophagus and stomach with a second surgery. Kendria and Keegan met with Eli’s full team to learn how to feed, suction and care for him at home in between the surgeries.
“We had an amazing medical team who had faith in us to get us home as soon as it was safe,” Keegan said. “Being at home was such a blessing, even if it meant having an in-home nurse and weekly visits to Columbia to make sure Eli was on track.”
Eli’s doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists all had special training to take care of infants. Pediatric pulmonologist Rebekah Nevel, MD, and respiratory therapist Sushila Brooks, RRT, made sure Eli’s breathing and lungs were working normally. Dietitians, counselors and lactation services supported the Bonhams in feeding Eli and checking his nutrition.
Surgical nurse practitioner Tara Kempker, PNP, and nurse clinician Kim Cleeton were there for his weekly checkups at Children’s Hospital with Dr. Marwan. Eli also received music therapy, one of his favorite activities, and occupational therapy.
“Eli’s care highlights the abilities of our dedicated pediatric specialists,” Dr. Marwan said. “We have everything to offer comprehensive care for these babies with complex conditions: A dedicated Fetal Care Program, our medical specialists, our surgical specialists, our support staff, really allows us to take care of mid-Missouri patients and beyond in a unique way.”
Eli’s care team at Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Specialty Center was large enough that his visits are an event, with smiling faces happy to see him doing well.
“We are so thankful for our family, our friends, our medical team, our surgeons and all the nurses, and we just want to thank God,” Kendria said. “Without all of them, we probably don’t make it through this. We still have some hurdles to jump, but we’re very grateful he’s doing well today.”
Shortly before he was six months old, Dr. Marwan and his surgery team successfully connected Eli’s esophagus and stomach. Three days before Christmas in 2023, the Bonhams returned home with Eli.
“We were so thankful to be home for the holidays and back to our normal life in a way,” Kendria said. “But we were still in contact with Dr. Marwan’s team so often that they just became family to us. We love them and we'll never forget them.”
Eli started eating by mouth in September of 2024, and still makes clinic visits to ensure his esophagus stayed open. Bubba, Ezekiel and their parents can do things as a family like swimming, playing at parks and playgrounds or riding the merry-go-round at the Cole County Fair.
Eli’s first year was an eventful one. But with an incredible family and an expert care team behind him, the future is full of possibilities.
“Since we have had such a tough year, everything that we do, we just try to absorb the memories because we're so very thankful to have both of our boys,” Kendria said. “It makes you appreciate the memories a lot more.”