Donation protected
Our sweet Camille was born in March, 2015, and is the most precious little girl on Earth! From the beginning, she grabbed the hearts of everyone she encountered. For all she's been through, she's bright, energetic, loving, and full of life.
Those first months, though, were beyond difficult. Diagnosed as a “failure to thrive” baby at two months, Camille was sleeping much more than a normal infant, reluctantly nursing, and failing to gain weight. She could not/would not (we never were sure) ever take a bottle. Camille could not grasp the suck/swallow/breathe pattern. She literally nursed only enough to stay alive!
At four months, her weight was not even on the growth chart and we began consulting a pediatric gastroenterologist. Over the next twelve months, Camille had every test imaginable with all the results coming back as normal. She had three surgeries: to correct lip & tongue tie, put in the g-tube (feeding tube), and correct the position of the epiglottis. She also was seen by a genetics specialist at Children's Hospital, New Orleans, which ruled out any genetic or metabolic disorder.
Camille's parents finally made the really hard decision to have a feeding tube implanted when she was eight months old. Even then, her weight increased only in the smallest increments because she began vomiting up so much of what she was taking in. We never could find the "right" formula. It wasn't until Camille celebrated her first birthday and graduated from formula in her tube to a blenderized diet of table food that the vomiting lessened significantly. Her weight began to increase, she finally made it on to the growth chart, and her milestones (crawling and walking) came more easily. Camille continues to be 100% tube fed.
All of 2016 was spent trying to teach Camille to chew. It’s a process she still does not comprehend and is the reason why a feeding evaluation was recommended. As with many children who have feeding issues, Camille is also speech-delayed and has been working with a speech therapist in addition to her occupational therapist.
In October, 2016, Camille was evaluated at Children's Health in Dallas, Texas, and accepted for their Intensive Feeding Therapy program. She and her mom will be admitted to Children’s Health on February 27th for a one month in-patient stay which we hope and pray will result in Camille learning better feeding skills so that she can eat more independently.
The cost of this treatment begins at $50,000. Even with insurance, this is a huge out-of-pocket expense for Camille’s family on top of all the out-of-pocket costs over the last 20 months. These funds will help cover treatment costs, meals for Camille’s mom (only one meal per day is provided by the hospital), and travel expenses for dad and brother to visit on the weekends.
Camille is a blessing from God, and we thank Him for her every day. Through answered prayer and hard work, Camille has made tremendous progress so far. Thank you for helping her begin the next step on her feeding journey!
Those first months, though, were beyond difficult. Diagnosed as a “failure to thrive” baby at two months, Camille was sleeping much more than a normal infant, reluctantly nursing, and failing to gain weight. She could not/would not (we never were sure) ever take a bottle. Camille could not grasp the suck/swallow/breathe pattern. She literally nursed only enough to stay alive!
At four months, her weight was not even on the growth chart and we began consulting a pediatric gastroenterologist. Over the next twelve months, Camille had every test imaginable with all the results coming back as normal. She had three surgeries: to correct lip & tongue tie, put in the g-tube (feeding tube), and correct the position of the epiglottis. She also was seen by a genetics specialist at Children's Hospital, New Orleans, which ruled out any genetic or metabolic disorder.
Camille's parents finally made the really hard decision to have a feeding tube implanted when she was eight months old. Even then, her weight increased only in the smallest increments because she began vomiting up so much of what she was taking in. We never could find the "right" formula. It wasn't until Camille celebrated her first birthday and graduated from formula in her tube to a blenderized diet of table food that the vomiting lessened significantly. Her weight began to increase, she finally made it on to the growth chart, and her milestones (crawling and walking) came more easily. Camille continues to be 100% tube fed.
All of 2016 was spent trying to teach Camille to chew. It’s a process she still does not comprehend and is the reason why a feeding evaluation was recommended. As with many children who have feeding issues, Camille is also speech-delayed and has been working with a speech therapist in addition to her occupational therapist.
In October, 2016, Camille was evaluated at Children's Health in Dallas, Texas, and accepted for their Intensive Feeding Therapy program. She and her mom will be admitted to Children’s Health on February 27th for a one month in-patient stay which we hope and pray will result in Camille learning better feeding skills so that she can eat more independently.
The cost of this treatment begins at $50,000. Even with insurance, this is a huge out-of-pocket expense for Camille’s family on top of all the out-of-pocket costs over the last 20 months. These funds will help cover treatment costs, meals for Camille’s mom (only one meal per day is provided by the hospital), and travel expenses for dad and brother to visit on the weekends.
Camille is a blessing from God, and we thank Him for her every day. Through answered prayer and hard work, Camille has made tremendous progress so far. Thank you for helping her begin the next step on her feeding journey!
Organizer and beneficiary
Becky Charrier
Organizer
Shreveport, LA
Lindsay McCoy Smith
Beneficiary