A San Marcos couple is suing Rady Children's Hospital over a mix-up on a genetic test.
Maria Vasquez cares for her 13-year-old son Eduardo, who is diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal genetic disorder that slowly robs kids of their muscles.
"I do it with all my love and heart," Vasquez said. "But it's really hard."
"He can't walk, he can't run, now he can't feed himself," said Eduardo's father, Armando Vasquez.
Since women are often the carrier, Maria got tested in 2010. She said Rady Children's Hospital told her she was not the carrier.
"They told us, you're negative Maria," said Armando Vasquez. "That gave us the green light. We wanted to have another baby. That's when we had Andreas."
Their youngest son, Andreas is now four years old.
After he began falling and getting hurt, he was tested and diagnosed with the same genetic disorder as his older brother.
In 2014, the hospital called and sent a letter to Maria admitting they gave her wrong information regarding her carrier status. She is actually a carrier for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
"If we would have known she's positive, we wouldn't have wanted to bring another child in the world to suffer like that," said Armando.
Now, Armando and Maria are suing Rady Children's Hospital. They know they'll have a devastating future caring for two wheelchair-bound sons.
The average life expectancy for those with the disorder is 27 years old. The family has a 10-year-old son who is perfectly healthy.
Ben Metcalf, communications manager for Rady Children's Hospital, released this statement:
"At Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, our top priority is providing the absolute highest level of care to our patients and families. While it is the policy of Rady Children's not to comment on pending legal matters, any allegations of wrongdoing are investigated thoroughly and urgently to find the appropriate resolution."
