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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Sunday, October 19, 2014

Finally an update.....

Homecoming 2014

I have been remiss in keeping up with Henna's blog and I apologize.  Our life has been a whirlwind of activities, new foster kids, and ups and downs.  We have had 4 new foster kids for over a year now and Henna loves them very much.  The 3 boys are returning to their father on Friday and their older sister will stay with us as she heads off to college.  This is going to be a big loss for Henna.
 
We have decided to home school Henna part time and then she attends high school the other half.  It suits her well.  She is such a social girl and enjoys all the kids and activities at school.  Since Henna's brain surgery 2 years ago she has become much more aware and her cognitive abilities are improving.  It's so exciting to see her use higher level thought processing.

We still have her service dog Snoball but Sno's job has changed a bit.  Henna does not have the drop seizures since her surgery but still has grand mal and smaller seizures.  Sno attends school with Henna and goes out into the community but stays at home other times.  She is a smart dog with a great nose.  She is still alerting to Henna's big seizures.  She's hyper and a rascal at home, chasing the cats and barking at everything!

 

Henna is still taking therapeutic horseback riding lessons and Son does not like her on that huge animal!
This summer Henna attended her first overnight camp through Brainy Camps.  She went to Camp Smiles, a Downs Syndrome Camp, and was the first non-downs person to go.
  The camp is trying to integrate other disabilities into their camps.  It  was a great fit for Henna as they were all at the same emotional level.
Henna and me picking strawberries.
Cherry blossoms in Washington DC.
Last years Xmas picture...
Henna getting lovies from sister Mica.

As we come up on Thanksgiving let us be thankful for all the many blessing God has given us.  Times are getting more challenging and we much stay focused on what really matters.
Take care and God Bless,
Jan







Posted by Jan at 8:02 AM

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