Written by Teresa from Samuel’s Miracle:
It all seems like a dream sometimes…
The cold emergency room swarming with people. My husband’s wet clothes clinging to his body. My baby’s pale white body on the gurney. My hand reacting to the deep coldness of his skin. The young man meticulously counting as he squeezes the bag over my son’s mouth and nose. And the echo of the social worker asking me if there is anything she can do…
I can remember wanting to scream at her – “YES, there is something you can do! You can fix my son!” I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. I wanted to die. I eventually curled up in a ball on the cold, hard floor and called my mom – sobbing into the phone.
Within the next 3 weeks…
I would be told that my son would not live and if he did, he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. I would be asked to sign a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) for him. I would consent to a very invasive surgery to have a baclofen pump placed in his tiny abdomen as a last ditch effort to save his life from the storming that possessed his little body and was turning him into a stiff and unbendable board. And I would kneel by his bed and offer him back to God if that’s what He wanted because I simply could not bear to watch my son suffer anymore.
But God didn’t take him. And that’s when I decided that I would FIND ways to help him – EVEN IF the doctors didn’t believe it was possible. And God would help me.
I could fill a book with all the research, therapies and blessings we’ve experienced over the last 3 ½ years. But I don’t have time to read it and you wouldn’t have time to read it. So, here are a few of the BEST things we’ve done for Samuel that has clearly made a difference in his life. (As a preface, my son sustained an anoxic brain injury from his near drowning. This manifests itself much the same as cerebral palsy. And his case is considered very severe.)
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
HBOT involves going inside a special chamber that is then pressurized and filled with pure oxygen. This therapy increases the amount of oxygen and stem cells in the bloodstream. HBOT is FDA approved for things such as nonhealing wounds and carbon monoxide poisoning. It is not “proven” to help heal brain injuries. But there are studies going on around the nation in an attempt to prove that it does help. I, for one, am absolutely certain that it does.
We have done 130 treatments and our insurance did not cover any of them. They are very expensive, but I would do more if I had the opportunity. The treatments reduced Samuel’s tone dramatically as well as improved his vision, his swallow and his vocalizations. But best of all, we believe HBOT brought his smile back.
Here is just one small article on HBOT – http://www.netnet.net/mums/Harch.htm
National Association for Child Development (NACD) – www.nacd.org
There are many organizations similar to NACD, but we chose NACD because they were closest to us. They prepare home therapy programs for special needs children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome or autism. This program improved Samuel’s tactility, vision, proprioception and intelligence. He learned to roll over because of it. There have been many times that a “traditional” occupational, physical or speech therapist has suggested I try something with Samuel that we were already (unbeknownst to them) doing with Samuel because of NACD. At the current time, we are working with NACD to teach Samuel to read.
Dr. Tennant and the Biomodulator – www.tennantinstitute.com
I do not have as much experience with Dr. Tennant as I would like to have since his practice is in Texas. However, I am very convinced that his ideas and treatments do have merit. And, I have spoken with several mothers of near-drown children who have tried his treatments in depth and swear by the things he does. I credit Dr. Tennant with giving me the knowledge and the determination to prepare homemade-blenderized formula for Samuel instead of the canned formula that had been prescribed for him. We have seen better health, better digestion and less sickness from Samuel since doing so. And I am excited to see what treatments Dr. Tennant will give us in the f uture as we plan to visit him in his clinic.
Advanced Biomechanical Rehabilitation (ABR) – www.abrcanada.com
ABR is a sort of passive physical therapy. It requires us to work with small pulsing pressure of our hands on Samuel’s trunk and neck to reestablish and reform the internal and smooth muscles within him. In turn, this will rebuild the volume in his trunk and neck and help to resolve the distortions in the structure throughout his body. Once this is completed, he should be able to sit up and hold up his head, thus giving him more control over his arms and legs. This is a pretty general description of the therapy as it is really involved and very specific. But there are many moms who now have children who can sit up and use their arms and legs in a purposeful manner where they had no hope of that before.
In the end, I am very thankful for the medicine and treatments that we have available to us in the United States. But for people with brain injuries, they simply aren’t enough. I have come to the point where I am not afraid to try things that are “outside” the traditional box. Of course, there is a lot of research involved to ensure it is something that is safe for my child. And I have found that other parents are the best references there are. But when it comes to my kid, I’m not about to give up just because someone says it can’t be done. And honestly, if there is anyone in the world that CAN overcome such a severe disability it is my son, Samuel.
