Hi everyone, I have to ask a favour. This is a case that I'm personally getting involved with and I need some help. It's a pediatric case and I need some advice as to the best place for the child to receive care. Please read the article.
FULL STORY Paralysed girl needs $1.9m for surgery Julien Neaves [email protected] Monday, March 8th 2010 SERIOUS CONDITION: Christa Brumant at her home in Tunapuna last week. -Photo: ANISTO ALVES ON SEPTEMBER 19 last year then nine-year-old Christa Brumant awoke at about 6 a.m. with terrible abdominal pains and was taken to hospital. Five hours later Christa was paralysed from the waist down. ’She said ’mummy I can’t walk’,’ her mother, Ramona Eligon, recalled. Christa spent 47 days at Mt Hope Paediatric Hospital where doctors diagnosed her with a condition called transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disorder caused by inflammation of a segment of the spinal cord. Her family is attempting to raise $1.9 million for medical treatment and rehabilitative therapy at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Maryland, USA for May 4. When the Express visited their Tunapuna home last week, Christa, now 10, was sitting in the wheelchair that she has been confined to since September. She was checking out a Barbie Girls website and later raised her hands in triumph that she was a ’VIP’ on the site. She was not in any visible pain during the interview. Eligon said her daughter has no feeling from the waist down but suffers from painful muscle spasms daily, at times so severe that she would stiffen and fall off the chair. Her other symptoms include daily headaches, back pain so severe that it keeps her awake for hours, nausea and acute bladder and bowel dysfunction. Eligon is extremely worried that her daughter is unable to defecate for days sometimes, which could lead to a build-up of toxins and further complicate her medical problems. She said if her daughter’s condition remains untreated paralysis could become permanent and in a few cases transverse myelitis has been fatal, travelling to the upper body and paralysing the heart, lungs and other vital organs. The family has been able to raise $35,000 so far and has applied for the Health Ministry medical grant of US$10,000 for children requiring medical treatment abroad. The Education Ministry has provided a personal aide to assist Christa as she attends classes at Tunapuna Girls’ RC, and her mother noted she is an ’A’ pupil. Eligon has had to take leave from her job as an administrative assistant to help care for her daughter and was thankful for the support of her husband, Evris. To help raise funds the family is hosting a cruise on March 26 aboard the Treasure Queen and ’An Evening of Elegance’ on May 1. For more information call 777-5080 or 395-5727. ’I really convinced that if everyone in the country opens their hearts and makes a small contribution not only my daughter can be helped but others needing assistance can be helped.’ As the Express left the home, Christa wheeled herself outside, smiled and queenly waved good-bye. From: [email protected] To: [email protected]; [email protected] Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:50:25 -0600 Subject: [TMIC] Re: Hope Love to hear that stuff!!! Janice From: Janet Dunn Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 12:36 AM To: 'Janice Nichols' ; 'tmic' Subject: Hope I did forget to mention something: my right leg/foot has been the afflicted one. The one that I struggle to make move. The one that causes the pain. I thought it would be forever. One day as I was listening to the radio, I had an “aha” moment. A wonderful catchy song was playing, and I looked down and saw that my foot was tapping in time to the music. I had not been able to do that for a long time. I could have cried. So – yes, never give up. The positive changes are sometimes such a part of our life that we fail to recognize them for what they are. Janet From: Janice Nichols [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: March 10, 2010 7:28 PM To: Janet Dunn; 'tmic' Subject: Re: [TMIC] Lesions and Myelin Regeneration "DITTO", Jan!!! Janice From: Janet Dunn Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 12:06 PM To: 'tmic' Subject: RE: [TMIC] Lesions and Myelin Regeneration I think that the improvement happens. For everybody? Depends. I have found a few improvements in areas, and some worsening in other areas. I take it one day at a time, because as we all know, anything can and usually does happen. But I drag my leg less now, and the intense banding eases up more readily. So I remain ever hopeful. And it has been since July 2004 that I have been afflicted. Janet From: Jan Hargrove [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: March 10, 2010 8:51 AM To: lynne myers; tmic Subject: Re: [TMIC] Lesions and Myelin Regeneration I do not agree with the two year statement. My doctor never told me that I wouldn't get well, nor give me a timeline. The only thing he said would not return was my temperature control. He was right!! AND, I've had improvements throughout the 14 years tm's been in my life........no matter how small, improvement is improvement and gives hope for more to come!! My 2¢ janh From: lynne myers <[email protected]> To: tmic <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, March 10, 2010 6:26:13 AM Subject: [TMIC] Lesions and Myelin Regeneration This is a quote from one of the message forum pages on TM website: Even though the lesion(s) are gone, there may be underlying nerve damage caused by the inflammation and the fact that the nerves were "unprotected" once the myelin got "eaten" away. The myelin grows back at 1mm a day, so it takes a while for the body to repair itself, BUT the nerve can remain damaged. You will know what damage is left at the 2 yr mark. After this you can still have some recovery but it is very small and unlikely to be very noticeable. This information is provided by one of the site administrators who is also a Registered Nurse. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx?id=60969
