A year ago, living to celebrate a birthday was far off in the minds of a Jefferson City family. So distant, in fact, they worried day-to-day how the newborn would survive. 

Her mother says at the time, they weren’t getting a diagnosis of why now 1-year-old Amaya would choke when she ate, drank, or smelled strong scents, like perfume. 

The first time she choked, severely, Amaya was only 5 days old. 

“I didn’t think she would make it to a year old, nobody really did,” said Monica Brooks, Amaya’s mother. 

Brooks said they spent the first days, weeks, and months of Amaya’s life in the hospital. Everytime she would drink water, she would choke to the point where she couldn’t breathe. Her family, worried it would become deadly if they couldn’t find a solution. 

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“A lot of sleepless nights, a lot of hospital stays, now she’s normal, pretty much,” said Brooks. 

Getting to “normal” for this family didn’t come without a scare. 

In February 2018, Amaya was only a month old and began to choke. But this time, Brooks couldn’t pat her back and fix it. Brooks says Amaya turned a dark shade of blue and she called 911. 

“It was something I didn’t think was gonna happen, that happened, and whoa…” said Brooks. 

Less than 5 minutes after calling, two officers arrived to their Jefferson City home and helped Amaya vomit the liquid she was choking on. Brooks said she was crying and breathing within seconds. 

“I’m standing there, I’m crying, I’m freaking out,… when he got her to cry.. he said, ‘she’s crying, she’s okay. That’s when my lungs felt like they relaxed,” said Brooks. 

The Jefferson City Police Officer was Monte Bowen. Brooks calls him their family’s “guardian angel” who she believes was put in the right place, at the right time, for a reason. 

“If it wasn’t for them getting here as fast as they did, I don’t think she’d be here right now. I don’t,” said Brooks. 

A year later

This January, Amaya celebrated her first birthday. A mark Brooks and her mother, Denise Fillmore, say is validation that Amaya is a fighter. 

At 6 months old, Amaya was diagnosed with reactive airway disease by a cardiologist. It was the first time, according to Brooks, that she was given a clear answer on what was happening everytime Amaya choked. 

Since that diagnosis, Amaya is able to eat, she just started earing dairy within 2 weeks of her birthday, and can drink liquids mixed with Pedialyte. She still can’t drink water because she aspirates it into her lungs. 

She was taken off of feeding tubes and has fewer hospital visits. All signs, for Brooks, that things are looking up. 

“I’d get so mad [at her crying], then that day… it can all be taken away within 5 minutes, it was gone,” said Brooks. 

She says doctors told her Amaya will grow out of the reactive airway disease, but it will take time. Even a year later, she says she believes Amaya knows who Officer Bowen is, she’s seen his photo.

Brooks says their family is “more than grateful” to the officers for responding so quickly and saving Amaya’s life. 

Brooks said, “He’s an angel just walking and helping people. He’s amazing, pretty much.”