Tuesday September 30th: Today was both exhilarating and heart breaking. Mic went for a physio session today. They sat her up on the edge of the bed and her poor little body just doesn't have the strength to support her. Although, in saying this, she tolerated the sitting for a longer time than the first session.
The physio's had Mic lay on her back and tried to entice her to roll over from one side to the other by using pom-pom's and a squidgy ball. This worked really well and Mic tried her best to do as asked, and achieved a half roll. They then laid McAyla on her stomach to see if she could lift her head and push up on her arms. She did this really well too. The neck brace was cumbersom though. It's kind've like watching a baby go through all the developmental stages. This is what broke my heart. Not only could I see that the brace was hurting, and damn she's been hurt enough, but it hurt knowing that I would have to watch her redevelop all those skills again. It's like she's been reborn.
She was really exhausted after this session and just as we got her upstairs and settled, the SLT's (speech and language therapists) arrived with her yoghurt. Unfortunately, Mic was asleep, so I never got to watch them feed her. As I mentioned yesterday, she had tried the yoghurt and coped really well. By the time they arrived in the afternoon and fed her more yoghurt, she was closing her lips around the spoon and taking the food off it. She also managed 10 teaspoonfuls! I can't wait to get to her tomorrow to find out how many she had tonight.
Mic was also due to visit the optician and audio people to establish if there was any fault with her hearing and eyesight. Unfortunately, this hadn't happened by the time I left. We did speak to a neurosurgeon and he has been very happy with her progress. We also spoke with the rehab specialist, Margo Edwards, and she is also very positive about Mic's progress.
When it came time for us to leave, Mic grabbed my sleeve and didn't want to let go. This made me want to cry. I want to cry every time I say goodbye to her. I can't wait to get up in the mornings just so I can get to the hospital to see her. I can't get there quick enough some mornings, so I can find out what new things she has learnt and what else she has achieved.
We are going to start a visitor rotation scheme for her. As she is only allowed 3 people to her bedspace at a time, and one of them has to be a parent, I'm leaving it open to yourselves to either add a comment or text me so I can set out appropriate timescales for visits. I'm sure you also appreciate that only a few people can visit at a time as Mic is easily exhausted, so we are asking that only 2 of her mates (with parents) visit on any allocated Saturday. Clear your Saturdays and let me know which Saturday is appropriate for you and I will do my best to get you in asap to see her.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
More good news
Monday September 29th: More good news today. The speech and language therapists gave Mic 8 teaspoonfuls of yoghurt today. She managed very well, but tired after that. If you can imagine how a baby feeds for the first time, this would be similar to how Mic is eating now. She can't remember to close her mouth around the spoon when it is placed in her mouth, so they have to scrape the food against the top of her mouth. She then tastes it with her tongue and proceeds to swallow.
The occupational therapists gave her a sensory session today. She didn't like anything that was in a tube or wire form. I think that it's because she felt all the tubes that were in her and relates that to pain. She did however like the disco ball, and other toys.
When we were leaving, Daz went to give Mic a hug and placed his head on her tummy. She responded by reaching for his hair and gently touched it. She did the same with Ash and then me. It's the closest we have come to a hug since her accident. YEAH!!!!!
A positive week
So much has happened in the last few days, or so it seems.
We had a discussion with the police about McAyla's case. For obvious reasons I cannot say very much other than they think it was Mic's fault. The course of the investigation depends entirely upon McAyla and how she progresses. Initially, they were treating this case as if McAyla was not going to make it through, but being the tough cookie that we all know and love, she proved them wrong. Let's hope she can do it again!
Saturday 27th, and I cannot believe the change in my little girl from 20 days ago. On the outside, she looks exactly the same as before the accident, except for a few bruises and a bit of her hair that has been shaved. Also, she still hasn't spoken, but, that will come. Oh, how I miss her little voice.
She went for physio on Friday and they laid her on a bed which they could tilt upright. The purpose of this is to help Mic to learn to stand and to put pressure on her feet again. Whilst they were tilting her, she tried so hard to lift her head so she could see what else was going on in the gym. There was another child having physio and he was on a toy that he could push himself around on. Ashley was in Mic's way and she tried to look around Ash to see what was going on. Still as curious as ever. I bet she was wishing she could've had a go! She has these groovy new splints which have a denim design on which help to keep her ankles in the correct position. She will also have a night time pair which have a rainbow design on. I have to say, they look a lot better than the purple plaster casts she had on. We don't know if the splints will need to be on forever, or if they will only be on until McAyla can walk again.
Mic can now lift her bottom up a little bit when asked. I noticed she is pulling at her neck brace which indicates she is very uncomfortable. Both legs move more freely now. I think the casts were just too heavy for her to lift. She is definitely more alert than she was a week ago, although she still doesn't seem to know where she is. It's difficult to explain, but hopefully when you all get to see her, you will understand.
It's been 3 weeks since the accident and every day McAyla gets that little bit stronger and a little more alert. 3 weeks of absolute torture. I can't wait to get up to the hospital every day to see her and I hate it when I have to leave. We saw one of the ICU nurses that looked after Mic. She can't believe the change in McAyla either. Hopefully, looking at the photo's you will see the tremendous difference in her too.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Update from Terri
Many people have asked me how we are coping as a family, as parents and as a mother. The honest answer is I don't really know. No-one knows how they will react in situations forced upon them, until it happens to them. I can tell you that it's been an emotional roller coaster that I never want to go on again.
I cannot go into detail of how the accident occurred, purely because I was not there and I don't want to speculate. All I know is that my life changed forever on September 7th, 2008.
For the purpose of McAyla's friends who may read this with their parent's permission, I will start at the beginning.
Sunday afternoon, McAyla's neighbourhood friends knocked on the door, asking if she wanted to go with to the shops. I didn't have a problem with this as I know McAyla is careful on the roads. The funny thing is, I don't think she really wanted to go as she rolled her eyes when she asked. I told her not to go if she didn't want to. She went anyway.
A few moments later, there was a loud knock on the door. I opened it and McAyla's 15 year old friend (who shall remain nameless, as she is not aware of the blog) screamed out "McAyla's been hit by a car!" Daz was laying on the couch but as soon as he heard, he was out of the door and running down the road in his socks. I pulled on trainers and followed. I cannot tell you if I left the door open or not. I know I left Cortni standing in the lounge. I don't even know if she followed me out the door. Luckily, Ashley and Samantha were at home to look after her.
About half way down the road, I passed the social club and heard somebody say something. I suddenly stopped running and wondered if I really wanted to see what was waiting for me around the corner. Then I thought about my baby laying in the road and I started to run again.
As I turned the corner, I saw the ambulance, paramedics tending to McAyla, Daz walking, fingers linked behind his head, police stopping traffic and turning them away, McAyla's friends crying and walking toward me. I ran to McAyla and saw blood pooling around her head, her face was pointed to her right and her forehead looked like it was split in two. I touched her and spoke with her, reassuring her of my love. I looked for Daz. He was sitting on the pavement, colour had drained from his face. There was a blonde woman with him, talking to him. I noticed McAyla's trainer on the pavement and looked for the other one. I couldn't see it. I looked at her feet and noticed the tops of her socks had holes in them. There was a man, not in uniform, but helping McAyla. I saw high heel shoes and keys neatly on the pavement. This seemed odd to me. The blonde woman approached me and I noticed her feet were bare. I later learned she was an off duty police officer and the man helping McAyla was an off duty doctor.
All of this seemed to happen in slow motion, until I saw Ashley coming up the road crying and panic in her eyes. I hugged her and told her to go home. I needed to be with McAyla and I needed Ashley at home to look after Cortni. A neighbour walked her away.
I asked the paramedics if I could go with them in the ambulance. They agreed and loaded McAyla up first and I had to sit in the front. It was at this point I got to walk around the car that struck my baby girl. The only thing I saw was the impact point on the windscreen.
We drove to County Hall and met the air ambulance. Again they took McAyla first and then loaded me up. Only once in the helicopter, did the tears start to stream down my face. We arrived at Birmingham Children's Hospital and they whisked her into A&E. I had to wait until the helicopter cleared the air space. Why, I don't know. Then I was taken to see McAyla in A&E and that's when I got really scared. I have never seen so many people work on such a little body, just trying to save her life. They told me everything they were doing, but for all the money in the world, I cannot remember half of it. Once they were happy, they sent McAyla for a CT scan, which is like an x-ray of the brain.
I met up with Daz who had arrived at the hospital during this time, and we were then sent to wait in the parents waiting room in ICU. Time passed very slowly as we waited to see MJ. When we did get to see her, it was very scary. There were tubes and wires going into her, a monitor was above her and there was a ventilator breathing for her.
That night, we didn't sleep much. In fact, for many nights we didn't sleep properly or eat. For the 9/10 days that McAyla was in ICU, I kept a bedside vigil, occasionally swapping with Daz. McAyla was eventually moved to ward 10. On Friday 19th, she opened her eyes fully for the first time. I was so excited. The only problem was she didn't seem to recognise me.
As each day passes, she makes a little more progress. On Tuesday, I noticed she was moving her tongue in her mouth and it looked like she was trying to say something and becoming frustrated. So, I decided to pull tongues at her and make funny shapes with my mouth. When I told her to pull her tongue out, she did! Yesterday she had a physio session and they were very happy with her progress. Whilst she can't sit on her own yet, she tried to roll over when asked and lifted her right leg on command. She looked for me yesterday when asked and that made me so excited. Oh, and in case you were wondering, even if you are sick, you have to go to school! The teachers have been up 3 times to see McAyla, but each time she's been asleep. Do you think she does it on purpose?
McAyla tires easily now and there will be many things she needs to learn again. Once she is feeling stronger, we will arrange visiting times for you all.
For those grown-ups who ask about the driver, she is devestated by what has happened. She phones the police everyday to find out how Mic is doing. I harbour no ill feelings toward her or Mic's friends. She has to live with the same image I do...and worse. As far as Mic's friends are concerned, we have spoken with the parents and offered to get the kids counselling should they need it. At the end of the day, in situations like this, nobody is a winner, but everybody does lose something.
Thank you all for your kind words, prayers, cards, letters, poems and teddies you have sent. Thank you to all the staff at Birmingham Children's hospital who have endeavoured to give my child the best possible care. Thank you to the kind police lady and the doctor who stopped to assist. Thank you to the paramedics and the air ambulance staff for their quick response. Thank you also, to all the people on my street who have looked after Cortni and after us as a family. Thanks must mostly go to the nurses in ICU who brought a smile to my face even in my darkest hours. I am truly indebted to you all.
I cannot go into detail of how the accident occurred, purely because I was not there and I don't want to speculate. All I know is that my life changed forever on September 7th, 2008.
For the purpose of McAyla's friends who may read this with their parent's permission, I will start at the beginning.
Sunday afternoon, McAyla's neighbourhood friends knocked on the door, asking if she wanted to go with to the shops. I didn't have a problem with this as I know McAyla is careful on the roads. The funny thing is, I don't think she really wanted to go as she rolled her eyes when she asked. I told her not to go if she didn't want to. She went anyway.
A few moments later, there was a loud knock on the door. I opened it and McAyla's 15 year old friend (who shall remain nameless, as she is not aware of the blog) screamed out "McAyla's been hit by a car!" Daz was laying on the couch but as soon as he heard, he was out of the door and running down the road in his socks. I pulled on trainers and followed. I cannot tell you if I left the door open or not. I know I left Cortni standing in the lounge. I don't even know if she followed me out the door. Luckily, Ashley and Samantha were at home to look after her.
About half way down the road, I passed the social club and heard somebody say something. I suddenly stopped running and wondered if I really wanted to see what was waiting for me around the corner. Then I thought about my baby laying in the road and I started to run again.
As I turned the corner, I saw the ambulance, paramedics tending to McAyla, Daz walking, fingers linked behind his head, police stopping traffic and turning them away, McAyla's friends crying and walking toward me. I ran to McAyla and saw blood pooling around her head, her face was pointed to her right and her forehead looked like it was split in two. I touched her and spoke with her, reassuring her of my love. I looked for Daz. He was sitting on the pavement, colour had drained from his face. There was a blonde woman with him, talking to him. I noticed McAyla's trainer on the pavement and looked for the other one. I couldn't see it. I looked at her feet and noticed the tops of her socks had holes in them. There was a man, not in uniform, but helping McAyla. I saw high heel shoes and keys neatly on the pavement. This seemed odd to me. The blonde woman approached me and I noticed her feet were bare. I later learned she was an off duty police officer and the man helping McAyla was an off duty doctor.
All of this seemed to happen in slow motion, until I saw Ashley coming up the road crying and panic in her eyes. I hugged her and told her to go home. I needed to be with McAyla and I needed Ashley at home to look after Cortni. A neighbour walked her away.
I asked the paramedics if I could go with them in the ambulance. They agreed and loaded McAyla up first and I had to sit in the front. It was at this point I got to walk around the car that struck my baby girl. The only thing I saw was the impact point on the windscreen.
We drove to County Hall and met the air ambulance. Again they took McAyla first and then loaded me up. Only once in the helicopter, did the tears start to stream down my face. We arrived at Birmingham Children's Hospital and they whisked her into A&E. I had to wait until the helicopter cleared the air space. Why, I don't know. Then I was taken to see McAyla in A&E and that's when I got really scared. I have never seen so many people work on such a little body, just trying to save her life. They told me everything they were doing, but for all the money in the world, I cannot remember half of it. Once they were happy, they sent McAyla for a CT scan, which is like an x-ray of the brain.
I met up with Daz who had arrived at the hospital during this time, and we were then sent to wait in the parents waiting room in ICU. Time passed very slowly as we waited to see MJ. When we did get to see her, it was very scary. There were tubes and wires going into her, a monitor was above her and there was a ventilator breathing for her.
That night, we didn't sleep much. In fact, for many nights we didn't sleep properly or eat. For the 9/10 days that McAyla was in ICU, I kept a bedside vigil, occasionally swapping with Daz. McAyla was eventually moved to ward 10. On Friday 19th, she opened her eyes fully for the first time. I was so excited. The only problem was she didn't seem to recognise me.
As each day passes, she makes a little more progress. On Tuesday, I noticed she was moving her tongue in her mouth and it looked like she was trying to say something and becoming frustrated. So, I decided to pull tongues at her and make funny shapes with my mouth. When I told her to pull her tongue out, she did! Yesterday she had a physio session and they were very happy with her progress. Whilst she can't sit on her own yet, she tried to roll over when asked and lifted her right leg on command. She looked for me yesterday when asked and that made me so excited. Oh, and in case you were wondering, even if you are sick, you have to go to school! The teachers have been up 3 times to see McAyla, but each time she's been asleep. Do you think she does it on purpose?
McAyla tires easily now and there will be many things she needs to learn again. Once she is feeling stronger, we will arrange visiting times for you all.
For those grown-ups who ask about the driver, she is devestated by what has happened. She phones the police everyday to find out how Mic is doing. I harbour no ill feelings toward her or Mic's friends. She has to live with the same image I do...and worse. As far as Mic's friends are concerned, we have spoken with the parents and offered to get the kids counselling should they need it. At the end of the day, in situations like this, nobody is a winner, but everybody does lose something.
Thank you all for your kind words, prayers, cards, letters, poems and teddies you have sent. Thank you to all the staff at Birmingham Children's hospital who have endeavoured to give my child the best possible care. Thank you to the kind police lady and the doctor who stopped to assist. Thank you to the paramedics and the air ambulance staff for their quick response. Thank you also, to all the people on my street who have looked after Cortni and after us as a family. Thanks must mostly go to the nurses in ICU who brought a smile to my face even in my darkest hours. I am truly indebted to you all.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Very Unfortunate Accident
I'm not going to add too much to this first post, other than to say that on September 7th, McAyla was struck down by a car in a very unfortunate accident and has been in hospital ever since. I will leave the details to her parents, Terri & Daz.
I know they gain strength through your prayers, thoughts and kind words. Terri will attempt, while running between home & hospital, to fill you in on this blog with her progress. Please feel free to leave comments and let me know how you feel.
- Sarah
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