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Jack's Story
"I was a teacher, working in a middle school just outside of Atlanta, teaching art..."
I was still a newlywed, and we were starting to talk about having children. I was a little nervous, as I had always been a bit nervous about having kids. My husband continued to bring it up, and I finally decided that there is no "perfect time" and that we would start trying. To my amazement, I got pregnant 2 months later!
The pregnancy was tough. My doctor, at my initial appointment, warned me that I may be beginning to miscarry. He gave me some medication and warned me of what would happen and what it would feel like if that were indeed happening. The next few weeks were very daunting, but we got through it. Then, I started swelling. When I say swelling, I mean gaining about 15 pounds in one weekend. From that point on, which was about 3 months into the pregnancy, I was on bedrest. I was watched and tested for toxemia and pre-eclampsia from that point on. I finally gave birth to Jack, via c-section, close to his due date. (His due date changed many times throughout the pregnancy, at times by up to 6 weeks! Because of this, I'm not sure if he was full term.)
He was small, and had some jaundice, but overall we thought he was healthy. They mentioned, shortly before we checked out, that he failed his hearing test in one ear, but that it was likely due to the c-section and just to have him retested in a little while. No one seemed very concerned. Ladies from a local organization came in multiple times, wanting me to talk a survey about smoking during pregnancy. I told them that I wasn't a candidate for the survey, and that I was even overboard on how careful I was about not eating or drinking anything that may be harmful during the pregnancy. The women urged me that I would not be judged for smoking, if I had, and that the survey is just for research. Again, I told that I didn't even eat lunch meat, much less smoke!
Things rocked along okay until he was about 6 months old. I had another hearing test preformed, but they got the opposite results. They said to wait a few more weeks or a month, and come back to do it again. He wasn't making much eye contact, but I wasn't thinking much of it. He was happy, and sleeping through the night.
At his 6 month check up, his doc said that he was a little concerned, and gave me a pamphlet on special needs. He didn't really give any kind of explanation, other than advice to call a local special needs organization for early intervention. When I got to my car, it was Niagra Falls. I called my Mom, told my husband, and the journey began.
A few months later, I was told that he had CMV and that was what had caused the damage. He has 5 small calcification spots on his brain. Our neurologist told us that he would likely never roll over, or sit up, or communicate. Words like mental retardation and microcephaly were thrown around like it was normal table conversation. Eventually, I had my Mom going to appointments with me, because I needed someone else there to help me to absorb all of the information, and the LACK of information.
At 11 months, he had his first seizure. It lasted for almost 45 minutes, and started about 15 minutes after his 1 year immunization. I now know that he was in the "high risk" group for many of the shots, including the flu shot, and wish that I had known the dangers of a child with neurological issues having certain immunizations. (But that's another story!) That really set us back, and he lost most of the skills that we had been working on through early intervention. It was a tough hill to climb, but he relearned those skills and more.
Today, his is almost 6 years old. He DOES roll over, and sit, and stand, and walk like a drunk person! His seizures are controlled, for the most part. His vision is slowly getting better and better, though he does have CVI. He couldn't track a flashlight in a dark room at 7 months, but can now find a familiar object in a familiar room about as fast as any other child his age. His hearing loss is profound in one ear, and moderate in the other. He uses limited signs, and can say "Hey". He's a kindergartener and loved by his teachers.
If you would like more information about Jack, or our family, please visit www.thatredheadedstepchild.com.
- Shared by his mother, Abby