It's not often I get too serious here, but family is very important to me and I wanted to share a little bit about my nephew as he is one of those things I think about too much. I don't often talk about this, so you may or may not know that I have an almost-four-year-old nephew who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This sweet boy has suffered so many hardships. It just makes my heart ache. But through all his pain, he is still such a sweet spirit who always has a smile to share. He's come such a long way in his journey and for his birthday later this month, my sister is trying to do something special for him; she wants to give him the experience of walking.
I want to not only share this dream with you, but share our angel's story as well. I've asked my sister to share what Harrison has been through in her own words. Read on for this dear boy's story.
"Harrison was eager to come into the world. On August 17, 2010 he was born via C-section at 27.5 weeks gestation. He was a little fighter from the beginning. Perfectly healthy. On October 8th, we learned he was sick. A day later we learned it was meningitis. At the time, I didn't realize just how serious that was. They took an MRI which showed half of his brain had been liquefied. Doctors and nurses couldn't tell me how much this would affect him. They tried to give me hope.
On November 5, Harrison was finally able to come home. A little more than a month later he was admitted overnight on December 11th while they ran some tests. His head had been swelling, but they weren't sure what was wrong with him. They eventually determined he had Hydrocephalus and scheduled him to have a shunt places on December 22nd.
In April 2011, Harrison started having seizures. In May of 2011, he had a shunt malfunction and had to have a shunt revision, and then another two days later. A virus put him right back in the hospital and they had to place a feeding tube in. Luckily, that was only temporary."
"Harrison has spent countless days in physical therapy trying to work on the simplest things without much success. In June 2013, it was decided he could no longer eat on his own because he wasn't gaining weight. So they placed a gastronomy tube.
In October 2013, he had surgery to place a Baclofen pump.
In April 2014, he had his biggest surgery to date where they lengthened his tendons in his groin and Achilles, shortened his femurs, and had a plate put in his hip. He has never been able to sit unsupported, talk or walk.
This boy has been through so much and has never complained. He has so much love and brings a smile to everyone's face. I want him to get to experience walking. I want him to know how much I believe in him. I want to motivate him to keep trying even though it isn't easy for him."
Help this loving mother, my sister, give her child this precious gift by donating to her fund to purchase him an Upsee. Even if it's just a dollar, it helps! Our family would be forever grateful!
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