Lil Peme's Medical Emergency Fund
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Pemerika Sameli Tauiliili needs to be medivaced to Honolulu — life or death situation
By Fili Sagapolutele
The parents and family members of seven-year old Pemerika Sameli Tauiliili, an active and happy youngster, are praying and hoping for an emergency medical flight to medevac the youngster to Kapiolani Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Honolulu for urgent treatment not available in the territory.
And the family also needs financial support to pay for a medivac, which they have been told will cost $159,000 — which includes the medical team. And as of yesterday, the earliest the medivac can be on island is at least 48 hours.
Pemerika’s father, Ionatana Tauiliili, described the events involving his son, saying his mother was home with his son and a baby sister when he received an urgent call from his mother. “My mom says my son was pointing a finger to the side of his head, ‘saying pain’ and he is unconscious,” Tauiliili recalled during a Samoa News interview around 1p.m. yesterday.
“My son was kind of violent trying to fight the pain, he was kicking everything that was in his way including my mom,” Tauiliili recalled of what his mother told him. “My mom was able to calm him down by applying cold water on the side of the head with the ‘pain’.”
“I think that’s when he went into unconsciousness,” the father said and then stopped briefly as he held back tears in his red eyes. “I rushed home and when I got there, I thought my son was just sleeping.”
“My son does little tricks when he doesn’t want to do chores. So I thought he was playing one of his tricks again,” he said adding that he told to his son to wake up so the two of them could go get his son’s favorite chocolate.
“My son didn’t respond or wake up. I checked his eyes and saw that the black pupils rolled back and only the white of his eyes. So the ambulance was quickly called,” Tauiliili said as he stopped again, taking a deep-breath, and again holding back tears.
His son was taken to the LBJ Medical Center’s Emergency Room, where the physician on duty conducted a medical check and Pemerika was taken for a CAT scan.
“That’s when they found out, as they told me, that there is a vein malfunction. They called it AVM — a brain arteriovenous malformation,” he said. “They told me that my son has internal bleeding in the brain caused by the rupture in a nerve.”
He said the LBJ is trying to stabilize little Pemerika in order for him to be taken off island on a commercial flight, but “my son needs to be taken off island immediately.” So the family quickly made contacts off island to locate an air medical service flight, which was located in Honolulu but the earliest they could be here, is at least 48-hours.
Yesterday morning contact was made with a medivac service in Australia to find out the cost and also if they could be here in less than 48 hours. And as of 1p.m. yesterday, the family was awaiting a return call from Australia on the cost and whether they could be here much earlier than the 48 hours.
Tauiliili said the medical team with the Australia medivac service has also spoken with the LBJ pediatrician about his son’s medical condition and for other medical information needed. He said that his son’s medical information is also being transmitted to Kapiolani, which has accepted his son — “as soon as we can get to Honolulu.”
The local pediatrician has been consulting with the physician at Kapiolani, he told Samoa News.
“So all they’re doing right now [at LBJ] is trying to stabilize my son the best they can with the medication,” he said.
To offer financial assistance or obtain more information, call Ionatana at [phone redacted].
- See more at: Samoa New Article
http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/family-7-year-old-ask-urgent-help-please#sthash.ht7lhgJA.dpuf
By Fili Sagapolutele
The parents and family members of seven-year old Pemerika Sameli Tauiliili, an active and happy youngster, are praying and hoping for an emergency medical flight to medevac the youngster to Kapiolani Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Honolulu for urgent treatment not available in the territory.
And the family also needs financial support to pay for a medivac, which they have been told will cost $159,000 — which includes the medical team. And as of yesterday, the earliest the medivac can be on island is at least 48 hours.
Pemerika’s father, Ionatana Tauiliili, described the events involving his son, saying his mother was home with his son and a baby sister when he received an urgent call from his mother. “My mom says my son was pointing a finger to the side of his head, ‘saying pain’ and he is unconscious,” Tauiliili recalled during a Samoa News interview around 1p.m. yesterday.
“My son was kind of violent trying to fight the pain, he was kicking everything that was in his way including my mom,” Tauiliili recalled of what his mother told him. “My mom was able to calm him down by applying cold water on the side of the head with the ‘pain’.”
“I think that’s when he went into unconsciousness,” the father said and then stopped briefly as he held back tears in his red eyes. “I rushed home and when I got there, I thought my son was just sleeping.”
“My son does little tricks when he doesn’t want to do chores. So I thought he was playing one of his tricks again,” he said adding that he told to his son to wake up so the two of them could go get his son’s favorite chocolate.
“My son didn’t respond or wake up. I checked his eyes and saw that the black pupils rolled back and only the white of his eyes. So the ambulance was quickly called,” Tauiliili said as he stopped again, taking a deep-breath, and again holding back tears.
His son was taken to the LBJ Medical Center’s Emergency Room, where the physician on duty conducted a medical check and Pemerika was taken for a CAT scan.
“That’s when they found out, as they told me, that there is a vein malfunction. They called it AVM — a brain arteriovenous malformation,” he said. “They told me that my son has internal bleeding in the brain caused by the rupture in a nerve.”
He said the LBJ is trying to stabilize little Pemerika in order for him to be taken off island on a commercial flight, but “my son needs to be taken off island immediately.” So the family quickly made contacts off island to locate an air medical service flight, which was located in Honolulu but the earliest they could be here, is at least 48-hours.
Yesterday morning contact was made with a medivac service in Australia to find out the cost and also if they could be here in less than 48 hours. And as of 1p.m. yesterday, the family was awaiting a return call from Australia on the cost and whether they could be here much earlier than the 48 hours.
Tauiliili said the medical team with the Australia medivac service has also spoken with the LBJ pediatrician about his son’s medical condition and for other medical information needed. He said that his son’s medical information is also being transmitted to Kapiolani, which has accepted his son — “as soon as we can get to Honolulu.”
The local pediatrician has been consulting with the physician at Kapiolani, he told Samoa News.
“So all they’re doing right now [at LBJ] is trying to stabilize my son the best they can with the medication,” he said.
To offer financial assistance or obtain more information, call Ionatana at [phone redacted].
- See more at: Samoa New Article
http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/family-7-year-old-ask-urgent-help-please#sthash.ht7lhgJA.dpuf
Organizer and beneficiary
Ionatana Tauiliili
Organizer
Pago Pago, AS
Falaga Tauiliili
Beneficiary
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