Re: Rep Retirement Lodge #131: Spring is here!
not knowing the full extent of these things (and not knowing your sons full extent of things)... how much improvement do (or the drs) think he can get out of physical activities? I don't usually say these types of things but it'll be interesting to see him come along... for all that's gone wrong it sounds like he'll have a real strong measure of tenacity when he gets older.
Little g has cerebral palsy, he has hypotonia or low muscle tone or weak/limp muscle tone. He is weak. All the typical milestones a baby or toddler should hit took a considerable amount of time longer for little g to do. (holding his head up, sitting, crawling, walking) All of his muscles are weak. Talking is even a struggle for him.
Little g will more than likely never be able to perform physical activities to the extent or level of what his peers will be able to do (piano, baseball, violin, soccer, writing/drawing, hockey etc). With that being stated, little g has been and will continue to be involved in as many things as his attitude will allow him to be.
Cerebral palsy is physical. Individuals with CP can still function at a high level cognitively. However, little g did not have a pulse or hearbeat for at least 25 minutes before/during/after delivery. In addition to the physical issues we also have to be aware of other issues that loss of oxygen can cause (brain damage) as it relates to cognitive ability.
To this point in time everything regarding little g has been a guessing game. Will he walk? Will he talk? Will he be able to read? Will he be able to write? Will he be able to skate? Will he be able to play catch? Will he be able to play a musical instrument? Will he be able to hold a crayon and write his name or a shape? Will he be able to go to school and learn just like his his peers? Will he be able to go to college? Will he be able to function independently in society? To date we have some answers to these questions but unfortunately there are still more questions than answers.
Not sure if I have ever posted this but I will never forget a couple things the doctors told me. First, after Mrs. g was whisked away from the delivery room I was brought to a waiting room. I really had no clue what was going on. I knew things were not going as planned but I had no idea just how critical it was. Our doctor approached me after twenty minutes or so. He stated "you had a boy, he had no vitals, he will be flown to Minneapolis and your pastor is on the way." Lots of information for a first time father to absorb. Second, about 16 hours or so after arriving in the NICU I straight up asked the doctor what was in store for little g regarding his future. The doctor asked me to take a seat and proceeded to tell me something that rocked me to my core. He said "based on what little g has been through there is more than 50% chance that he will not survive the next 24 - 48 hours. If he makes it through that there is a very strong likelihood that he will never know who you are and will probably be in a vegetative state with little to no quality of life. I have seen worse babies do better and better babies do worse."
Due to his tenacity and never quit attitude he has defied the odds to date and has proven wrong nearly every professional who has worked with him. If I had to guess I would say that little g has a bright future.
Sorry for the long post.
