SEILA’S BLESSINGS: MEDICAL EXPENSES

On May 21, 2016...a parent’s worst nightmare became reality for our family.  Seila was found unresponsive in our family’s swimming pool.  Seila’s dad performed CPR for 15 minutes until rescue arrived....I thank GOD for his calmness and ability to help his “Princess”.  For over two (2) hours, Seila was without a heartbeat... A rescue team with Jacksonville Fire & Rescue and the emergency room medical team at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital worked tirelessly to save Seila’s life.  Our family was told that night that we needed to say our “goodbyes...” as it was guaranteed that Seila would not make it through the night. We prayed more than we had ever prayed and trusted God more than we had ever trusted Him before...We watched our babygirl’s lifeless body in her hospital crib as the life support machine breathed for her.  She was hooked up to so many machines....It was heartbreaking.  We were encouraged to take her off life support, considering Seila’s MRI reading showed substantial brain damage due to a loss of oxygen to the brain.  “She has lost everything good in her body, ma’am....the only thing working properly is her heart”....For me, as Seila’s mom, that was ENOUGH....God kept her heart beating strong and loud...I promised Him that if He kept our girl, I would do everything in my power to LOVE HER BACK TO LIFE! After over 50 days spent in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Jacksonville, FL, we were flown to Atlanta, GA to CHOA-Scottish Rite for an extensive rehabilitation program for another 54 days....Seila’s  Dad and two(2) older brothers, Steven Charles Jr (13) and Eidan Alexander (11), spent every single day at the hospital by their baby sister’s side....holding her hands, reading to her, praying for her, and LOVING her! I thank God so much for their love and dedication to her recovery.  In addition, during this time we had an outpouring of love and support from our church and school families...our families...our friends...and others within the community....and even people we had never met who heard of Seila’s accident.  We finally made it back home in September of 2016 from a 116 day hospital stay!  GOD IS FULLY CAPABLE OF ALL THINGS!!!! Seila has beat so many odds!!!! Despite predictions that she had lost her hearing, vision, and would forever be in a vegetative, comatose state....here we are two years later and SEILA JUST CELEBRATED HER BIRTHDAY AND STARTED KINDERGARTEN!!!!! We have a long road ahead of us, but we don’t take a single day for granted! God’s word will NEVER return void! He has kept His promises to us, and continued to heal Seila daily through His awesome miracles! We trust that there is so much more in store! As a result of Seila’s accident, she now requires 24 hour around the clock, total care. She currently receives physical and occupational therapies; speech therapy; has a vision teacher, a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing, and a kindergarten teacher all come out to see her several times a week in our home; and, a teacher from Florida School for Deaf and Blind visits with Seila weekly.  I made the decision, in lieu of having someone else care for Seila, that it is my pleasure as her mother, to properly care for her and help nurture her through this journey, while providing an endless supply of love and support. My husband’s military salary provides for our family of five (5). While we are blessed to have insurance coverage, unfortunately it does not cover many medical expenses, some therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, medications, as well as mileage to and from therapies and appointments.  Seila is a little fighter and the strongest person I know!!!! We appreciate every single donation thus far and we ask that you continue to support Seila and our family through prayers, love, words of encouragement, and anything your heart leads you to bless us with.  We love you guys and we thank you! God bless.