A MIRACLE!

Henna was 2 years old when she was admitted to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. She had been thrown against a concrete wall by her biological father for crying too long. She had two depressed skull fractures, old blood on the brain from previous abuse, a lacerated liver, collapsed lung, suspected sexual abuse, and shaken baby syndrome. Henna coded while on the way to the hospital via helicopter and was brought back to life only to go into surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. She was not expected to live through the night. Henna was in a coma for one month hanging on to life. Then the miracle happened! Henna woke up and was able to move all her limbs and speak, shocking all of the medical professionals. We took Henna into our home and shortly after her arrival she started having seizures.

Henna's journey continues as we try to control her seizures. She received the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) on Feb. 4, 2011 at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. The VNS will send an electrical impulse to Henna's brain every 3 minutes for 30 seconds to interrupt her seizures. Over two months we have increased the electrical current and we have seen no change in her seizure activity. It looks as though Henna is in the third of children who receive a VNS that sees no relief from the VNS. We are very disappointed! We have started her on a new medication in addition to her current medications. Maybe it will help.

On August 6th, 2012, Henna had a full corpus callosotomy. This surgery is for people who have generalized seizures with no focal point. The corpus callosum is a band of nerve fibers located deep in the brain that connects the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain. It helps the hemispheres share information, but it also contributes to the spread of seizure impulses from one side of the brain to the other. A corpus callosotomy is an operation that severs (cuts) the corpus callosum, interrupting the spread of seizures from hemisphere to hemisphere. Seizures generally do not completely stop after this procedure (they continue on the side of the brain in which they originate). However, the seizures usually become less severe, as they cannot spread to the opposite side of the brain.

Henna received a white Labradoodle, Leo, from 4 Paws for Ability in Oct. 2010. We sent 4 Paws 2 shirts a week to help train her dog. One shirt was when Henna had a seizure and they used it for her dog to smell the chemical change during her seizure. The other shirt was when Henna had NOT had a seizure. This helped her dog differentiate between the two scents. It's a fascinating process. We trained for 10 day in Ohio with Leo and a trainer before bringing Leo home.

Leo had been going to school with Henna but started to bark and growl at different people when they came into her classroom. We worked with Leo's barking and growling when people would knock on the door and for a while he seemed better. He is very protective at home also. He then barked and growled at some boys who came into Henna's classroom and had to be removed from school. The trainer at 4 Paws said that some dogs bond so closely with their child that they become protective. Leo took on Henna's classroom as another home and felt he had to protect her. Sadly, because of his aggressive behavior, Leo can no longer be a service dog. The trainer said Leo would behave lthat way with any child he bonded to. Just his nature. We will keep Leo as a pet. Leo LOVES being just a pet. He still alerts to Henna's seizures and lives to get his hot dog reward!

Henna now has Snoball, a beautiful Golden Retriever. Snoball was born June 3, 2011. She is so sweet and a bundle of energy! Sno is doing an excellent job alerting to Henna's seizures BEFORE she has them! She is alerting up to one hour before Henna has a seizure. Sno goes to school with Henna and proudly wears her school ID badge. Snoball will be a great seizure alert dog and will serve Henna well.

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Monday, October 25, 2010

4 Paws Training Day #7

We usually start each session out heeling our dog and going through basic obedience and distraction work.  Leo did well.  He's bonding and calming down around us.  Most of the morning was for the dogs who would be helping the kids who use a chair.  They worked on opening and closing doors and drawers.  They get so excited when they work.  There are 2 Golden Retrievers and 1 Lab.  They worked on retrieving objects that a child may throw from a chair and placing them in the chair after they had picked it up. 

The kids then worked with their dogs to use them for balance while trying to stand up from a sitting position on the ground. The dog is to stay in a standing position while the child pulls herself up hanging on to the harness.
Jesa working with Leo as he identifies Henna's scent from a hidden shirt.  She's great!  When he finds her shirt Jesa totally goes crazy and Leo thinks it's a big game.  My goal is to act as out of control as she does when I get home and start practicing.  LOL.



Leo in a "lap"
Just chillin!



Leo's Mama, a Lab.
In the afternoon we learned the fun stuff.  We learned how to get the dog to play dead after we pretend to shoot it by saying, "Bang".  We learned behavior disruption by saying "Nuzzle".  This is where the dog comes up and pushes his face through the child's arms when they are upset or crying.  We learned how to get the dog to roll over from one side to another which would be beneficial when grooming or at the vet.
After dinner DJ and I went and did some shopping just to get away.  Henna was ready for bed when we got back.  Leo was asleep on her bed.  It was a good day.  Tomorrow we return to the mall for more work around the public.
See you tomorrow!
Jan
Posted by Jan at 6:38 PM

2 comments:

  1. JaniceOctober 25, 2010 at 8:36 PM

    Jan - more tears..... How could I not when I saw you "chillin" on gorgeous Leo.

    It was wonderful to see his mom....

    janice

    ReplyDelete
  2. AmyOctober 26, 2010 at 9:03 AM

    Can't wait to see you guys at home soon. Hope the training and the pooch are all you dreamed they would be.

    ReplyDelete

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