Baby Bekah's Battle
Donation protected
Rebekah Salvador was born 15 weeks premature in Seoul, Korea, where her father was serving in the U.S. Army. Born at only 1 lb. 6 oz., and only 11 inches long, Rebekah faced a lengthy and difficult stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Samsung Medical Center. She went into respiratory distress from her weak, immature lungs. She also had a large hole in her heart ( patent ductus arterioles), underwent laser surgery to correct retinopathy of prematurity, fought NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) in her intestines, contracted MRSA, fought bronchio pulmonary displasia, jaundice, underwent multiple blood transfusions, and worst of all, she experienced grades II and III brain bleeds (grade IV being the worst). Rebekah had weekly brain ultrasounds while in the NICU and during one of those scans, the doctors found periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). PVL is white matter brain injury that occurred as a result of one of her brain bleeds. Doctors said she had a high probability of having cerebral palsy, or she would show no symptoms at all. Only time would tell.
Unfortunately, time has revealed that Rebekah has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. This means that she is affected in all four of her limbs. She is also non verbal at 2 and a half years old. Rebekah cannot crawl, walk, or sit unaided for more than 20-30 seconds. She also has difficulty eating, so she still eats primarily from a bottle and takes some strained food.
Bekah, as she is lovingly called by her family, has been accepted by Dr. Yngve at UTMB in Texas as a candidate for a procedure called selective percutaneous myofacial lengthening (SPML). It will give her the greatest chance at independent movement. It gives her hope of crawling, standing, and eventually, walking. She currently resides in Daegu, Korea where her father currently serves on active duty in the U.S. Army. So, this means a lengthy trip for Bekah and her mom to get to Texas to have this procedure as it is only performed by two orthopedic surgeons and both are in the U.S. SPML will not cure Bekah's cerebral palsy. There is no known cure. However, it will make her life less painful and give her the best chance at independent movement. She will still face a life of therapies and special needs. Please help us get Bekah to Texas in early September 2017 for this surgery and help get her the therapy tools needed to assist her now and in the future.
Unfortunately, time has revealed that Rebekah has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. This means that she is affected in all four of her limbs. She is also non verbal at 2 and a half years old. Rebekah cannot crawl, walk, or sit unaided for more than 20-30 seconds. She also has difficulty eating, so she still eats primarily from a bottle and takes some strained food.
Bekah, as she is lovingly called by her family, has been accepted by Dr. Yngve at UTMB in Texas as a candidate for a procedure called selective percutaneous myofacial lengthening (SPML). It will give her the greatest chance at independent movement. It gives her hope of crawling, standing, and eventually, walking. She currently resides in Daegu, Korea where her father currently serves on active duty in the U.S. Army. So, this means a lengthy trip for Bekah and her mom to get to Texas to have this procedure as it is only performed by two orthopedic surgeons and both are in the U.S. SPML will not cure Bekah's cerebral palsy. There is no known cure. However, it will make her life less painful and give her the best chance at independent movement. She will still face a life of therapies and special needs. Please help us get Bekah to Texas in early September 2017 for this surgery and help get her the therapy tools needed to assist her now and in the future.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tim Drager
Organizer
Riverside, IL
Heather Salvador
Beneficiary
