HELMETS
for HAILEY
August 2007
Since our last update, please forgive us for the
delay, Hailey has made wonderful progress. She has started really laughing
and giggling and vocalizing her feelings. Her smiles, which come so much
more now, light up the room. Hailey's parents have also been trying to get
her to suck drinks through a straw and have had much success. She is still
on a feeding tube (g-tube) at this time, but these baby steps are so very
encouraging. In March of 2007, Hailey and her family went back to Chicago
for another set of 40 oxygen treatments. She also received wonderful
therapy during her stay. The treatments went very well and you can see
many changes in Hailey since. She is making new sounds, new movements,
alert to noises, and recognition of those around her. She is also
receiving extensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy as well as
water and equestrian therapy. Hailey is seeing a Pediatric Rehab doctor
receiving 3-4 treatments a week. They are working on stimulating her
nerves and muscles to send messages to her brain to promote activity in
the right side of her brain. She is more active and moves her arms and
legs a lot more than in the past. We took Hailey to an orthopedic Dr. in
the early part of the summer to check on the curve in her back and to
discuss her back brace that was not working well. She was very candid with
us and said that Hailey has a 70 degree curve in her back. If she reaches
90 degrees she will need to have her back fused which will limit movement,
not prevent it but limit it. We will not have a choice at that point
because it will impair her ability to breathe well and her heart will have
too much stress from the pressure of the curve and lack of oxygen from the
lung on that left side. She also recommended that we consider Botox
injections in her major muscles that are giving her problems with tension.
As for the back we worked with an orthotic group and the Dr and therapists
at the clinic she is being treated and they came up with a back brace and
molded chair back that will work together to give her better posture. The
Dr.’s and therapist are of the opinion that they can correct her at least
30% which would be great progress. Thus far we have her new back brace
which is working much better and she tolerates it for the entire day now.
She received the Botox injections (7 of them) in the left leg and both
arms, hands and fingers to help relax the muscles so we are able to work
with stretching them out and get some molds made for her hands to help her
open them up. She did great and reacted to the burn from the medicine
which was very positive. So Hailey is now in 6th grade which is middle
school here. She is also riding the bus with another little girl with
special needs and they have been together for the past two years. Lisa is
very protective of Hailey and watches out for her the entire ride to and
from school. Thank you
so much for your prayers and positive thoughts. Please visit
the CarePages for Robin's full update.
October 2006
This month Hailey went to Chicago for oxygen treatments at the Midwest Hyperbaric Institute in Illinois. An angel told us about these oxygen treatments that while still somewhat "experimental" have been known to give great results to a patient with a traumatic brain injury. A patient is placed in a chamber while pure oxygen is saturated into the body. The oxygen wakes up those cells in the brain which have "gone dormant". Please visit their website at www.midwesthbot.com for more information. The institute is about 6 hours away from Hailey's home so she and her parents were in a town outside of Chicago for approximately 5 weeks during treatments, while staying at a Ronald McDonald house nearby. Although these treatments are not covered by insurance, Hailey has made much progress and it has been worth every penny. She smiles and laughs and response to questions with looks and gestures. Her poor little body is having a hard time keeping her feet straight and back from curving to the left side but she has braces to help with that. The family is getting ready to take on Aqua therapy and have been told by many Dr's that she will definitely benefit from it with her muscles and tone. "The most wonderful is that each morning when I go into her room to say Good Morning and thank God for waking us up she has a beautiful smile on her face." Thank you so much for your prayers and positive thoughts. Please visit the CarePages for Robin's full update.
July 2006
One year since Hailey's accident and the family is trucking along full speed ahead. Since Hailey has been home she has made a great deal of progress. She seems so much more alert and responsive. She follows voices and people throughout her room and watches the goings on very intently. She definitely makes it known when she is not happy. From being in pain or uncomfortable, to being sad that it's time to go back to her room to get ready for bed. The surgery on her skull went very well, although she had a hard time in recovery. Due to the anesthesia taking longer to wear off, Hailey had difficulty breathing on her own. This gave her family quite a scare. But it only took a few hours and Hailey was breathing on her own and doing wonderful. The surgery on her legs and feet took place on July 24th. Everything went very well. Hailey was experiencing a lot of pain and stayed at Cardinal Glennon for a few days after surgery. Doctor's want to get her into her "stander" and continue therapy to wake up those leg muscles. With each baby step that Hailey takes, she is one step closer to recovery. Hailey has such a strong will and drive to communicate. Your prayers are helping her along more than you know. Thank you! Please visit the CarePages for Robin's full update.
May 2006
Hailey is doing great in school, she loves it. She is now going to school full time. Hailey sustained a broken leg due to weak bones, but that is healing very well. Also she is now at a 1 rating on the coma scale, which is great. She was at a 4 and we are working our way back to ZERO! Hailey is doing wonderful with her therapist Kate and we have found several treatments that are working very well. Hailey has a great deal of movement these days. On June 5th she will undergo another surgery to finish the repair of the material they implanted last year on her skull. Her plastic surgeon is confident this will do the trick for her skull. Then her orthopedic surgeon may do a surgery to her legs to lengthen her tendons in her calf, ankle and toes. Please visit the CarePages for Robin's full update.
April 2006
Hailey is doing very well at home. She is moving, tracking objects, and making different sounds. She is working very hard at school in her therapy and making progress every day. These baby steps are wonderful and very steady! Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Please visit the CarePages for Robin's full update.
February 2006
Hailey returned home on Friday February 3rd. In honor of Hailey's return home, purple balloons were released all over the country. Family, friends, neighbors, teachers, co-workers, and strangers all came together, even if just in spirit, to celebrate this brave little girl's home coming. Hailey is currently attending school and working with some amazing teachers and therapists. Robin, Richard, Jacob and Sam, are working hard together at home to get into a routine with their new lifestyle. "I find myself watching her sleep and am so thankful she is here with me. This is hard work, physically, but it does not compare to the heart wrenching pain wondering if she was going to be with us from one moment to the next. I thank God for entrusting her back in my arms again."
"Blessings to all of you and please continue to pray for Hailey that her rehab and recovery continues with the momentum and speed that is intended by God. He has done so much for her thus far, why question his abilities at this point. He gets my vote that is for sure."
Please visit the CarePages for Robin's updates as well.
January 2006
Currently Hailey is being cared for at Rankin Jordan, a pediatric specialty hospital in Maryland Heights, Missouri. There are plans of Hailey returning home very soon, where she will attend school and continue her rehabilitation.
FeF