Children of Promise ~ Cassandra






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Cassandra







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UPDATE: 4-7-09

It has been over a year since my last update so I have so much to report!

First of all, Cassie was placed in an FLS class this school year. All of the kiddos are in wheelchairs so it's a much safer environment for her. She is included in Kindergarten recess, lunch, and enrichment (art, music, and PE). Her teacher is GREAT! They work primarily on life skills so Cassie has been growing so much in that area. She's learned to throw trash away (had problems releasing in the past), turn light switches on and off (we NEVER thought she'd develop finger isolation), activate a computer via a switch like a pro, RUNS in her gait trainer (even chased her friend into the woodchips and did an endo), and is starting to crawl (14 minutes to make it through the crawling tunnel - about 8 feet.) We are so excited about her progress - yay!

Cassie is still going strong with Miracle League. She LOVES it! I am so glad that she has her own thing that is just for her. This is her third season on the blue Rangers and she's made some amazing friends!

We went to Orlando in January, compliments of the Sunshine Foundation. We had an AMAZING time, and Cassie absolutely loved meeting all of the Disney characters. She giggled all day long at Sea World, especially during Dine with Shamu. What a blessing this was for our entire family! We have discontinued HBO and ABR. The benefits were there, but not significant enough compared to the cost/time involved. We are looking into Hippotherapy instead because I think Cassie would really enjoy that, and it will help her with head/trunk control.

Cassie's neurologist is pushing for us to consider Deep Brain Stimulation, which means brain surgery. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I really haven't even looked into it's benefits because the thought is so scary. Especially considering Kory (my 9 y.o. son) just underwent an EEG and 2 MRI's because of a mass in his brain (which by the grace of God turned out to just be a cyst). I was having to prepare myself for the possibility of brain surgery for him and it was a scary thought. I'll keep you posted as we learn more about it.

Cassie still does not have a bed (argh!) Medicaid won't pay for the Sleepsafe because it's electric. They want to get her a really medical looking type bed, which I just can't bring myself to get for her. So, we are opting to try the private insurance route to see if they will buy her a really pretty bed made by a company called Beds by George. The owner has a special needs kiddo and created these beds out of the same desire I have, not wanting his home to look like a hospital. I want to give her as much normalcy as I can, and if there is a "normal" looking bed that is safe for her, she will have it :)



ADDED: 3-26-03

Cassandra was born on December 6, 2002, at 8:44 am. She weighed 6 lbs., 4 oz. and was 19.5" long. Due to decelerations in her heart rate during contractions, Cassie was born via emergency C-section. Once she was born, they saw my placenta had partially ruptured, the umbilical cord had a knot in it and it was wrapped around her neck three times. At the time of delivery, she did not have a heart rate and was not breathing. After 20 minutes of CPR efforts, we were informed that she did not make it. Upon declaration of death, a faint heart rate was detected. Resuscitation efforts were restarted and my little girl pulled through. Due to the amount of time Cassie was without oxygen, the decision was made to transfer her to Cook Children's Hospital where they had a neurological staff to review her condition. Within 24 hours of her birth, Cassie was breathing on her own, had a stable heart rate and a high oxygen saturation level. After several failed attempts to get Cassie to bottle feed, we opted to have surgery to place a G-button. She was discharged shortly after the surgery and spent exactly 3 weeks in the NICU.

Since arriving home, Cassie has shown interest in the bottle (taking 3 oz. each feeding). We are hoping she will be able to have her G-button removed soon. Cassie has a therapist come to the house once a week to help correct behaviors that are a result of her birth (arching) as well as help her maintain a normal progression towards milestones. We see minor improvements (she can now focus on toys/faces & has started to coo) each week and know she will continue to do well as time goes on. Thank you for all your prayers for little Cassie. We will continue to update you on her progress.



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