This a salute to my Youngest Son who is a gift to me!!
Paul Was born on 15 Dec 1974 at Charleston Naval
Hospital In Charleston S.C. It was our Daughters 3rd Birthday.His birth was uneventful
and was pretty quick. I thought I heard him cry as I went back to the fathers waiting room.
Fathers were not allow in delivery room those days. With in a few weeks Paul's Dad was back at
sea aboard a submarine and his mother was at home with three small children. The patrols were long
for both of us so I decided that I was not going to put us through that anymore. I went to shore duty
without any intention of re enlisting even though I had over 12 years of service. During this
time Paul's progress was slow everything he did was behind what his brother and sister had done.
The Navy doctors just said that he was slow even though he couldn't hold his head up at four months.
We left the Navy and moved to Richmond Virginia where Paul was
taken to The Medical College of Virginia to see a Doctor name David. It was only a few minutes in his
office and he made the diagnosis of Cereberal Palsy. That is really where his long journey began.
Early Child Hood
He started at the Cereberal Palsy Center in February of 1977
and could say simple words like dog and ball. He could also crawl
and walk around furniture. He was able to walk to his class room in the morning with a walker.
In 79 Paul had heal cord surgery to allow his foot to rest on the ground better. This was done
reluctantly and only after a second opinion. This achieved very limited success. In 80 after
finally taking hip X rays it was discovered his hips were not in the sockets. This was caused
by the muscles not being strong and holding them into place. In 80 the doctors performed bilateral
hip surgery where they broke the bone in his legs and aimed them correctly into the socket and than
bolted them into place. He was now in a body cast which would last for a Six weeks. After about Six
weeks xrays were taken and it was discovered that the right hip had not healed. The only choice was
for him to have surgery again. To try to fix the bone so it would heal. The second surgery was performed
this time trying a bone to graft it into place. Again a body cast for six weeks. Xrays were taken and
again the right hip bone was not healed. At least we had the bolt taken out of his left hip. Surgery
was performed again this time the bone was cut to yield clean bone bolted together and a new body cast
again for Six weeks . It finally healed but all muscle strength was lost and all chance of him ever
walking was lost. In April of 82 the bolt was removed from his right hip.
During the time he was in the body casts, he had a wonderful teacher at the center who worked with him
in reading (phonic) and telling time. In September of 1981 he was put on a muscle relaxer called Datrium
I think. This caused a complete change of his personality so we forced his removal from it. In October of
1984 we left Ashland Virginia and moved to Stafford County Virginia. As it turns out this was the best thing we had done for him.
In 1984 He started in the Stafford County School School system and
his life began to change for the better. He now was in a special Education class He was now with people who
were "Normal" or who had problems different from his. He began to talk in full sentences, doing math, and
talking to people. 84 to 85 he was in a high school education class. In 85 he went to a middle school and
seem to fit right in. His education seemed to make progress. In 89 he transferred to a high school
special ed class and did real well there. He was doing a lot of the things he liked to do especially math
which he really liked. Everything was going along good until Febuary of 1991 when
the second really bad period occurred.
Paul was struck by a very mysterious disease in Febuary of 1991.
He began to have seizures, loss of memory, control of body functions and loss of what muscle control he
had. We took him to the Medical College of Virginia Hospital where he under went numerous test but nothing
was found in fact the seizures stopped but all the other conditions remained. He was sent home but no cause
was found. He could not function the only text that was run that revealed any thing was a test of his muscle
reaction to electricity. He had none. Reluctantly we took him back home but the Seizures returned. His memory
was almost completely gone in fact he was now repeating the same phrases over and over again. We took him back
to the Hospital a second time again the same results the seizures stopped.The seizures would only last a few
seconds and than go a way. We were beginning to question ourselves. The seizure were witnessed by a couple of
doctors but they would not treat until they saw them on the machine. He had many tests including MIR's blood but
to no avail still no answer. We took him home only to have the seizures return. They were stronger and began to
last longer. Finally the seizures were getting long we called the rescue squad and they transported him to a
local hospital from the he went by ambulance to MCV again. This time there was a open slot in the area where they
do brain scans and a seizure appeared on there chart. So he was having seizures but what was the cause of all this?
He was than given a spinal tap and the answer was there. His protein levels were high Four times the normal level.
The Diagnosis was Gullian-Barre Syndrome.
The Happy Ending
Since the Gullian-Barre Syndrome Paul has been taking Tegretal and it
has made all the difference. He now has at least short term memory and some long term memory back. He gets
around in his Electric Wheel chair getting better all the time. He graduated high school last June and now goes
to the Activity center three days a week he may go more but he still gets tired out. He's doing Ok. He lives at
home and is well taken care of. Two things have happened to him over the last two years that makes me feel like
he is being watched by Angels. The first time was about 18 months ago we returning from South Carolina after visiting
my brother who had just had a mild heart attack. We were returning on I95 and were headed home. Something or someone
made me exit the interstate into a rest area and stop the Van And look under the Hood of engine There was a hose
just about to be cut by a belt on the engine. I don't know what would have happened if it had bust the worst would
have been us stranded on the interstate.
The second just makes me shiver when I think of it. I was on the computer
and just turned it off for the night. I was just about to go to bed when someone or something made me reach up and
touch the plug the computer was plugged into. It was very hot. If left alone I think it would have started a fire
before morning. This electrical plug was in the route of his emergency exit from the house. In the 12 years we have
lived here I had never felt that plug. Why that night I don't know but I did And was able to turn the Circuit breaker
off till the next day when it was fixed. I now check the plug every day Are there Angels I now know that there are.
Paul Presently lives at home and is a very happy young man does the story end I don't know but i will keep ya posted.
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