- L
For those of you that may not know the Millers, you could not ask for a sweeter family. Three of their biggest driving factors are their faith, their family, and their friends. Rebecca and Dennis would go out of their way to help others, no questions asked. Now we have a chance to help them during the most difficult time in their lives.
Back in March, March 19th to be exact, Rebecca noticed that something was off with Charlotte. Her bowel movements were different seemed different...odd in color and some even had blood. After monitoring her for a few days, Rebecca took Charlotte to the ER on the 21st, per a doctor's suggestion. While there, Charlotte was tested for all of the more common possible explanations...C Diff and Rotavirus, among others. Charlotte was observed for a while, and then sent home to await the test results, all of which came back negative.
Two days later, having seen that all tests came back negative, Charlotte's pediatrician suggested that she could have an allergy to cow's milk protein. Rebecca immediately cut all dairy out of her diet, since she was nursing, and they waited and hoped to see a difference.
At first, Charlotte seemed to be improving. But then on April 10th, she suddenly didn't want to nurse. Her bowel movements worsened, and she also began vomiting. Rebecca spoke with her pediatrician and a nurse in the ER, and both recommended that she continue to monitor Charlotte over the weekend, since she already had an appointment scheduled for that Monday. Then on Monday, while at the doctor, it was discovered that Charlotte had lost a significant amount of weight, and Rebecca was told to take her to the ER.
Once at the ER, it was confirmed that Charlotte not only had weight loss, but was also dealing with dehydration. She has admitted to the pediatric unit at Covenant Hospital, and they began to work on finding the cause of these issues.
Over the next few days, as Charlotte continued to have weight loss and diarrhea, doctors ran multiple tests in an effort to find what was causing her symptoms. One possible answer was that Charlotte had allergies to multiple things, and not just the cow's milk protein , so she was switched to a special amino acid based formula. On April 16th, one of the test results came back positive, and it was confirmed that Charlotte had a gastrointestinal infection. This was a breakthrough they had been waiting for! Charlotte had a diagnosis and it was something that could fairly easily be treated with antibiotics!
However, just one day later, on April 17th, Charlotte's health continued to decline. She was moved to the Pediatric ICU that morning, and by that evening it was decided that her case was now too serious for her to remain at Covenant. She was taken to Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, and was now receiving her nutrition through an IV, because her digestive system was so badly damaged.
Although being farther away from family has been difficult, the move was exactly what Charlotte needed. Within two days of transferring to Mott, Charlotte was no longer dehydrated and some of her levels had returned to normal! On April 20th she was able to receive a PICC line, so that she could continue to receive the nutrients her body desperately needed, while also allowing her body and digestive system time to rest and heal. Charlotte was starting to make improvements, but due to her extreme symptoms, the doctors still wondered if something else was going on.
On April 23rd, Charlotte had an endoscopy and colonoscopy done, with the hope that they would help shed some more light on what she was dealing with. The following day, after being in the hospital for almost two weeks, Charlotte finally had an explanation for everything that had been going on, and a working diagnosis; Autoimmune Enteropathy. She would need to undergo genetic testing to try to obtain a firm diagnosis, but even that could come back inconclusive. If that were the case, they would continue to more forward with the working diagnosis.
As of May 3rd, some of Charlotte's genetic testing has come back negative, which is wonderful!! She will start to wean off of her TPN (the nutrients that are being given through her PICC line) soon, and she was been drinking small amounts of formula through her bottle! She has also started her maintenance medication, something she will need to take for the rest of her life, and will soon be able to start weaning off of the steroids she has been on. Charlotte has a condition that will be lifelong, but there is treatment available and her family can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! This is where your help can come in!
First and foremost, we are asking that you pray for Charlotte and her family, as we know that God is the ultimate healer, and she still has a long road ahead of her! Second we ask that you prayerfully consider making a monetary donation to sweet Charlotte and her family. They have been through, and are continuing to endure, so much. The stress of having a sick child is more than any family should have to bear. When you consider the added stress that comes in the form of medical bills, it is almost too much.
We are trying to help relieve any of that stress that we can, by raising money to help the Miller family. All money raised will go toward helping with the costs that come from hospital stays, testing, medical procedures, medications, etc. We want to thank each of you in advance for reading Charlotte's story, and for helping in any way that you can! Please feel free to help get the word out by sharing this link on Facebook! It means more to Charlotte and the Miller family than you will ever know!
Back in March, March 19th to be exact, Rebecca noticed that something was off with Charlotte. Her bowel movements were different seemed different...odd in color and some even had blood. After monitoring her for a few days, Rebecca took Charlotte to the ER on the 21st, per a doctor's suggestion. While there, Charlotte was tested for all of the more common possible explanations...C Diff and Rotavirus, among others. Charlotte was observed for a while, and then sent home to await the test results, all of which came back negative.
Two days later, having seen that all tests came back negative, Charlotte's pediatrician suggested that she could have an allergy to cow's milk protein. Rebecca immediately cut all dairy out of her diet, since she was nursing, and they waited and hoped to see a difference.
At first, Charlotte seemed to be improving. But then on April 10th, she suddenly didn't want to nurse. Her bowel movements worsened, and she also began vomiting. Rebecca spoke with her pediatrician and a nurse in the ER, and both recommended that she continue to monitor Charlotte over the weekend, since she already had an appointment scheduled for that Monday. Then on Monday, while at the doctor, it was discovered that Charlotte had lost a significant amount of weight, and Rebecca was told to take her to the ER.
Once at the ER, it was confirmed that Charlotte not only had weight loss, but was also dealing with dehydration. She has admitted to the pediatric unit at Covenant Hospital, and they began to work on finding the cause of these issues.
Over the next few days, as Charlotte continued to have weight loss and diarrhea, doctors ran multiple tests in an effort to find what was causing her symptoms. One possible answer was that Charlotte had allergies to multiple things, and not just the cow's milk protein , so she was switched to a special amino acid based formula. On April 16th, one of the test results came back positive, and it was confirmed that Charlotte had a gastrointestinal infection. This was a breakthrough they had been waiting for! Charlotte had a diagnosis and it was something that could fairly easily be treated with antibiotics!
However, just one day later, on April 17th, Charlotte's health continued to decline. She was moved to the Pediatric ICU that morning, and by that evening it was decided that her case was now too serious for her to remain at Covenant. She was taken to Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, and was now receiving her nutrition through an IV, because her digestive system was so badly damaged.
Although being farther away from family has been difficult, the move was exactly what Charlotte needed. Within two days of transferring to Mott, Charlotte was no longer dehydrated and some of her levels had returned to normal! On April 20th she was able to receive a PICC line, so that she could continue to receive the nutrients her body desperately needed, while also allowing her body and digestive system time to rest and heal. Charlotte was starting to make improvements, but due to her extreme symptoms, the doctors still wondered if something else was going on.
On April 23rd, Charlotte had an endoscopy and colonoscopy done, with the hope that they would help shed some more light on what she was dealing with. The following day, after being in the hospital for almost two weeks, Charlotte finally had an explanation for everything that had been going on, and a working diagnosis; Autoimmune Enteropathy. She would need to undergo genetic testing to try to obtain a firm diagnosis, but even that could come back inconclusive. If that were the case, they would continue to more forward with the working diagnosis.
As of May 3rd, some of Charlotte's genetic testing has come back negative, which is wonderful!! She will start to wean off of her TPN (the nutrients that are being given through her PICC line) soon, and she was been drinking small amounts of formula through her bottle! She has also started her maintenance medication, something she will need to take for the rest of her life, and will soon be able to start weaning off of the steroids she has been on. Charlotte has a condition that will be lifelong, but there is treatment available and her family can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! This is where your help can come in!
First and foremost, we are asking that you pray for Charlotte and her family, as we know that God is the ultimate healer, and she still has a long road ahead of her! Second we ask that you prayerfully consider making a monetary donation to sweet Charlotte and her family. They have been through, and are continuing to endure, so much. The stress of having a sick child is more than any family should have to bear. When you consider the added stress that comes in the form of medical bills, it is almost too much.
We are trying to help relieve any of that stress that we can, by raising money to help the Miller family. All money raised will go toward helping with the costs that come from hospital stays, testing, medical procedures, medications, etc. We want to thank each of you in advance for reading Charlotte's story, and for helping in any way that you can! Please feel free to help get the word out by sharing this link on Facebook! It means more to Charlotte and the Miller family than you will ever know!
Organizer and beneficiary
Rebecca Miller
Beneficiary