Support Sweet Sarah
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I'd like to share the story of my beautiful niece, Sarah Schiefelbein, and the battle she is in right now as an 11 year-old kid facing an adult emergency.
On Friday, October 2nd, Sarah Dawn Schiefelbein had enjoyed a normal day at school and a fun evening playing with her sister Madilyn before laying down to bed. Around 10:30pm that night her mom, Kim Wixson Schiefelbein, heard strange noises coming from her room and by the grace of God decided that she should check on Sarah. She entered Sarah's room to find her sweet daughter unresponsive and knew that something was seriously wrong. After calling 911, Kim alerted her husband (my brother), Rick Schiefelbein, to come immediately home from work. Rick arrived to see the ambulance and fire truck in his driveway.
Sarah was rushed to Cooks Children's Hospital in Fort Worth where the PICU team worked to stabilize her and determined that she had an aneurysm. She was given CT scans, a drain tube in her brain and by mid-day Saturday she had an angiogram that included doctors from Harris Methodist and Cooks working as a team. Everyone remarked how rare it is to see an aneurysm in a child and the teams from two hospitals worked diligently on a plan. During the angiogram they realized that this was a very complex aneurysm and that Sarah should be transferred to a vascular neurosurgeon in Dallas for possible brain surgery. The other options presented to Rick and Kim are too difficult to share and we owe a great deal of gratitude to the Fort Worth doctors for making this transfer happen so that Dr. Welch at UT Southwestern could work with Sarah.
Our family arrived at Dallas Children's Medical Center late Saturday night and waited for more info. At this point Sarah had been completely unresponsive since the night before and all we could do was pray and support each other through our tears. The medical team let us know that she would have brain surgery on Sunday morning at 8am at Zale Lipshy University Hospital and Dr. Welch met with Rick and Kim for the first time. His words of encouragement and confidence provided the first ray of light on a pretty dark day.
The following morning Sarah was once again transported to another hospital, this time outside in the fresh air rather than an ambulance, to undergo a 5 hour brain surgery. When the doctor met with the family around 2pm he explained that the surgery went well. He gave us details about the 3 clips he added to her artery to prevent future aneurysms and how he was able to keep a very important part of her brain intact, meaning that Sarah would retain her personality and all of the wonderful things that make her our sweet Sarah. While the ordeal was and is far from over, this was a HUGE step forward.
Later that afternoon we gathered around her bed as they decreased her sedation and asked her to perform routine neurological tests. Sarah opened her eyes, then squeezed her hand, then pointed with 2 fingers and wiggled her toes. Rick and Kim joined the doctor in talking her through the steps and as she dosed back off to sleep we were finally able to cry tears of joy and relief rather than fear and sadness. All of this had occurred in less than 48 hours from the moment Kim noticed that something was wrong.
From that point forward the family started on a long journey that is already proving to have its own surprises. Knowing that Sarah will have to be in the ICU for a long time we were just settling into our new home back at Children's when we learned that Dr. Welch was having us transferred to Zale Lipshy, where the surgery was performed, so that he and his team could be directly connected to Sarah, and their equipment, at all times. Since the surgery there have been tough times when she has become unresponsive, there have been some good test results during CT scans and angiograms, and there has been joy when Sarah lets her personality shine by giving out the occasional kiss, saying the name of her hedgehog back home, or working hard to make a smile as a way to say 'Yes' when we ask her questions.
Early this morning, Oct 7th, Sarah had a particularly rough time. She was rushed into emergency surgery at 2am to have the front of her skull plate completely removed to allow the brain to swell. The surgery was a success and the family is excited to keep marching forward by her side.
So now we are at Zale Lipshy and our family is all-in for Sarah. Rick and Kim have not left her since the ordeal began and the rest of us are there for the majority of each day including Kim's mom Patti Wixson, her sister Angela and her husband Brian, my parents Dick and Leslie, Sarah's older sister Madilyn, me and my wife Amanda, and many others that come as they can. Co-workers, friends and family members have played a crucial role in providing love, prayers and words of encouragement.
So many of you want to know how you can help. At first I wanted to start a meal calendar but it is actually very difficult to accommodate the dietary needs of the entire family while also trying to deliver food to an ICU waiting room. As time progresses, it occurs to us all that food expenses over the next few months are only a small part of the big picture and that the family will be facing medical bills, possible income reductions from not working, and other unforeseen issues.
I am asking for your donations to help this family as we support our sweet Sarah. Your donations will be used in the near-term to make sure that everyone is eating a healthy, balanced diet during the weeks and months ahead in the ICU waiting room and after Sarah steps down into regular recovery and therapy. Excess funds will be applied to the medical bills and to helping Rick and Kim stay on their feet as they navigate all of the unknowns ahead.
Also, we are asking for something far more important than financial support. Rick, Kim, Sarah and everyone involved humbly request your daily prayers for the health and
healing of Sarah, for the safety and wisdom of the medical staff, and for the peace and comfort of all those who know our Sarah. Thanks be to God for the many miracles we have already witnessed and the countless angels that have touched our hearts at each hospital and through your encouraging messages to each of us.
Sarah has always been the prayer warrior in our family. She prays nightly for the people she knows and then finishes her prayer by asking God to please help anyone who needs help, even people who don't know they need it or don't know how to ask. God is great and life is amazing.
On Friday, October 2nd, Sarah Dawn Schiefelbein had enjoyed a normal day at school and a fun evening playing with her sister Madilyn before laying down to bed. Around 10:30pm that night her mom, Kim Wixson Schiefelbein, heard strange noises coming from her room and by the grace of God decided that she should check on Sarah. She entered Sarah's room to find her sweet daughter unresponsive and knew that something was seriously wrong. After calling 911, Kim alerted her husband (my brother), Rick Schiefelbein, to come immediately home from work. Rick arrived to see the ambulance and fire truck in his driveway.
Sarah was rushed to Cooks Children's Hospital in Fort Worth where the PICU team worked to stabilize her and determined that she had an aneurysm. She was given CT scans, a drain tube in her brain and by mid-day Saturday she had an angiogram that included doctors from Harris Methodist and Cooks working as a team. Everyone remarked how rare it is to see an aneurysm in a child and the teams from two hospitals worked diligently on a plan. During the angiogram they realized that this was a very complex aneurysm and that Sarah should be transferred to a vascular neurosurgeon in Dallas for possible brain surgery. The other options presented to Rick and Kim are too difficult to share and we owe a great deal of gratitude to the Fort Worth doctors for making this transfer happen so that Dr. Welch at UT Southwestern could work with Sarah.
Our family arrived at Dallas Children's Medical Center late Saturday night and waited for more info. At this point Sarah had been completely unresponsive since the night before and all we could do was pray and support each other through our tears. The medical team let us know that she would have brain surgery on Sunday morning at 8am at Zale Lipshy University Hospital and Dr. Welch met with Rick and Kim for the first time. His words of encouragement and confidence provided the first ray of light on a pretty dark day.
The following morning Sarah was once again transported to another hospital, this time outside in the fresh air rather than an ambulance, to undergo a 5 hour brain surgery. When the doctor met with the family around 2pm he explained that the surgery went well. He gave us details about the 3 clips he added to her artery to prevent future aneurysms and how he was able to keep a very important part of her brain intact, meaning that Sarah would retain her personality and all of the wonderful things that make her our sweet Sarah. While the ordeal was and is far from over, this was a HUGE step forward.
Later that afternoon we gathered around her bed as they decreased her sedation and asked her to perform routine neurological tests. Sarah opened her eyes, then squeezed her hand, then pointed with 2 fingers and wiggled her toes. Rick and Kim joined the doctor in talking her through the steps and as she dosed back off to sleep we were finally able to cry tears of joy and relief rather than fear and sadness. All of this had occurred in less than 48 hours from the moment Kim noticed that something was wrong.
From that point forward the family started on a long journey that is already proving to have its own surprises. Knowing that Sarah will have to be in the ICU for a long time we were just settling into our new home back at Children's when we learned that Dr. Welch was having us transferred to Zale Lipshy, where the surgery was performed, so that he and his team could be directly connected to Sarah, and their equipment, at all times. Since the surgery there have been tough times when she has become unresponsive, there have been some good test results during CT scans and angiograms, and there has been joy when Sarah lets her personality shine by giving out the occasional kiss, saying the name of her hedgehog back home, or working hard to make a smile as a way to say 'Yes' when we ask her questions.
Early this morning, Oct 7th, Sarah had a particularly rough time. She was rushed into emergency surgery at 2am to have the front of her skull plate completely removed to allow the brain to swell. The surgery was a success and the family is excited to keep marching forward by her side.
So now we are at Zale Lipshy and our family is all-in for Sarah. Rick and Kim have not left her since the ordeal began and the rest of us are there for the majority of each day including Kim's mom Patti Wixson, her sister Angela and her husband Brian, my parents Dick and Leslie, Sarah's older sister Madilyn, me and my wife Amanda, and many others that come as they can. Co-workers, friends and family members have played a crucial role in providing love, prayers and words of encouragement.
So many of you want to know how you can help. At first I wanted to start a meal calendar but it is actually very difficult to accommodate the dietary needs of the entire family while also trying to deliver food to an ICU waiting room. As time progresses, it occurs to us all that food expenses over the next few months are only a small part of the big picture and that the family will be facing medical bills, possible income reductions from not working, and other unforeseen issues.
I am asking for your donations to help this family as we support our sweet Sarah. Your donations will be used in the near-term to make sure that everyone is eating a healthy, balanced diet during the weeks and months ahead in the ICU waiting room and after Sarah steps down into regular recovery and therapy. Excess funds will be applied to the medical bills and to helping Rick and Kim stay on their feet as they navigate all of the unknowns ahead.
Also, we are asking for something far more important than financial support. Rick, Kim, Sarah and everyone involved humbly request your daily prayers for the health and
healing of Sarah, for the safety and wisdom of the medical staff, and for the peace and comfort of all those who know our Sarah. Thanks be to God for the many miracles we have already witnessed and the countless angels that have touched our hearts at each hospital and through your encouraging messages to each of us.
Sarah has always been the prayer warrior in our family. She prays nightly for the people she knows and then finishes her prayer by asking God to please help anyone who needs help, even people who don't know they need it or don't know how to ask. God is great and life is amazing.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kim Wixson Schiefelbein
Organizer
Dallas, TX
Rick Schiefelbein
Beneficiary
