Hello, allow us to introduce you to Cali Rader. Cali is a very tough 10 year old little girl! She has had some really serious challenges in her life, and continues to be a really strong fighter.
When she was 2, Cali was adopted by her loving parents Roger and Traci Rader in February of 2007. A healthy happy child, Cali 2 1/2 and her brother Josh, 1 at the time of adoption, thrived in their home with Mom and Dad and a large extended family. Roger, an Radiology tech, and Traci, a Neonatal ICU nurse nurtured these rapidly growing children. Traci has reduced her hours to the minimum necessary to continue to provide medical coverage for the family.
In May of 2013, Cali became seriously ill with an infection. It was caused by a herpes virus, a common cold sore, that crossed the barrier into her brain. Cali was desperately ill and was in a coma for almost 3 weeks.
She started to recover from that and was undergoing rehab therapy when she was struck with a second hard blow. In a very small percentage of people, extremely rare in children, the body sets up an auto-immune disease called Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis. Cali was the youngest child ever diagnosed with this .
This second blow was really devastating. It resulted in Cali being semi-catatonic for a lengthy period. Cali is fed through a feeding tube. She does not speak but is starting to move her head to respond to yes and no questions. Cali is unable to walk at this time, however she has starting to use her arms to support herself and scoot about the floor.
2 years later... She is now able to propel her wheelchair forward , interact and play with others. In short Cali is ready to transition home. Now it is up to us to make home ready for Cali and her needs.
When she was 2, Cali was adopted by her loving parents Roger and Traci Rader in February of 2007. A healthy happy child, Cali 2 1/2 and her brother Josh, 1 at the time of adoption, thrived in their home with Mom and Dad and a large extended family. Roger, an Radiology tech, and Traci, a Neonatal ICU nurse nurtured these rapidly growing children. Traci has reduced her hours to the minimum necessary to continue to provide medical coverage for the family.
In May of 2013, Cali became seriously ill with an infection. It was caused by a herpes virus, a common cold sore, that crossed the barrier into her brain. Cali was desperately ill and was in a coma for almost 3 weeks.
She started to recover from that and was undergoing rehab therapy when she was struck with a second hard blow. In a very small percentage of people, extremely rare in children, the body sets up an auto-immune disease called Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis. Cali was the youngest child ever diagnosed with this .
This second blow was really devastating. It resulted in Cali being semi-catatonic for a lengthy period. Cali is fed through a feeding tube. She does not speak but is starting to move her head to respond to yes and no questions. Cali is unable to walk at this time, however she has starting to use her arms to support herself and scoot about the floor.
2 years later... She is now able to propel her wheelchair forward , interact and play with others. In short Cali is ready to transition home. Now it is up to us to make home ready for Cali and her needs.