OHSU teams diagnose, treat young child with mysterious, potentially deadly condition

‘You must never give up and never stop believing that your child will get better,’ says father; Spanish-speaking family fought to be heard, found support at OHSU

By Nicole Rideout February 16, 2024 Portland, Oregon

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Frank at Doernbecher Children's Hospital

Catarina and Francisco Sanchez-Cacatzum were concerned when they noticed significant and abrupt behavioral changes in their 4-year-old son, Frank, and brought him to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital for a comprehensive evaluation. (Courtesy of the Sanchez-Cacatzum family)

Frank at Doernbecher Children's Hospital

Doernbecher pediatrics - neurology

From the moment Frank arrived at OHSU Doernbecher, efforts to determine his condition required expertise and collaboration across various specialties, including family medicine, emergency medicine, urology and neurology. (OHSU)

Language assistance at OHSU

An OHSU pharmacy technician works with a non-English speaking patient to identify the appropriate language for interpretation services. OHSU health care teams diagnosed 4-year-old Frank Sanchez-Cacatzum with autoimmune encephalitis after his Spanish-speaking parents had felt dismissed by other health care providers. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Maria Xiang, M.D. (OHSU)

Miles Fletcher, M.D. (OHSU)