Crib For Carter
Donation protected
PREFACE
Yep...I'm one of "those" friends...
You know the ones - -
Some people refer to it as being persistent or tenacious & at times just plain ole' pestering.
In this case, I believe WHOLEHEARTEDLY that my persistance will pay off in so many ways and this is why I started this GOFUNDME for my good friends.
Will you take a moment to read these deets?
I sincerely THANK YOU for your time and support.
:) :)
BASIC DEETS:
WHO: Carter Nelson
(a.k.a. Mr. Pineview, Carter sauce, C-Man, Peanut -- just to name a few)
WHAT: A new crib/bed that will meet his special needs.
WHEN: From now, until we raise all the funds!
**Construction of bed will begin late February with the generous partnership of Jeremy Peterson, Axios Studios.** (https://www.facebook.com/axiosstudiosllc/)
WHERE: St. George, Utah
HOW: As a team of course! :) We can't do this project without your generous support. :) :) :)
WHY: ((Well...as a mother who also has a special needs child, here's where I get off on a bit of a tangent.))
There are so many "why's" that I would fill up this whole page -- just on the "why's".
Here are just a couple:
1) People talk about "saving" the whales, tortoises, birds, etc...((all great causes)) - - but, my new saying is:
"SAVE THE BACK!"
****Picture this....Carter weighs approximately 80 pounds. As you will read further down in his story, his muscles are very tight, so lifting him up and down can be challenging. ("up" - "down" - "up" - down" - everything that is done to help this little guys is "lifting" and "bending" in some way.
...and......THE BACK TAKES A BEATING!
Having a custom bed built to a "higher" height will take the stress out of bending to change his diaper and dress him daily.
2) How many times have you laid in bed with your child to read with them, rub their back or just snuggle.
Most special needs kiddos need a railing of sorts to keep them safe, which typically means a crib type enclosure.
(((Last I checked, most adults don't fit into a crib.)))
This custom bed will be large enough for Carter to continue his growth AND strong enough for his mom/dad to climb in and snuggle him to sleep.
:) :) :)
Please take a look at the custom drawing that Jeremy has prepared. He is a talented craftsman who is ready, willing and able to create this crib/bed for Carter.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Crib For Carter project.
Check out his other pictures and grab a tissue as you read his story below.
Lots of love.....Tamara :) :) :)
CARTER'S NEW BED
CARTER'S STORY
On June 4, 2007 it was discovered that Andrew and Nikki Nelson would be welcoming twins into their family sometime in January, 2008.
However, on October 25, 2007 Carter and Hunter Nelson were born at 8:55 a.m., 11 weeks early. Carter weighed in at 2 pounds 13 ounces and Hunter weighed in at 2 pounds 15 ounces. They were born early due to a phenomenon called twin-to-twin transfusion, where one twin gives the other twin all the blood and doesn’t get any back. When they were born Hunter was a tight skinned purple baby as he was the twin receiving all the blood, while Carter was a shriveled up pasty gray looking baby. It was also determined that Carter suffered from Stage 3 and Stage 4 brain bleeds which could potentially cause Cerebral Palsy. Only time would tell though what the damage would do to his body.
He was born at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah and spent 5 days there before it was apparent that Carter would need more serious medical intervention.
On November 1, 2007 Carter was life flighted to Primary Children’s Medical Center where it was discovered he needed immediate life saving bowel surgery. He was rushed off to the surgery room and came out several hours later with an illeostomy; (this is where the bowels are placed in a small bag on the outside of the body to heal.)
Over the course of the next 7 weeks Carter would stay at Primary’s to grow. During those 7 weeks, Carter underwent many test and procedures. It was discovered that he had holes in his brain from the brain bleeds at birth for being so early which could possibly cause Cerebral Palsy. But again, only time would tell. Both boys came home from the NICU on December 24, 2007. It was the best Christmas present ever!
In February of 2008 Carter returned to Primary Children’s for the take down surgery on his bowels. He struggled with recovery and spent 2 more weeks in the hospital to heal. Over the next few months many doctors were seen to discuss the needs of Carter. One of the items was that Carter would need Cranial surgery to fix his pointy forehead.
There were 2 reasons for this surgery:
1- was so he would feel better and have a more normal looking forehead so that
2 - he would look more like his twin brother.
So, in September 2008, Carter went back up to Primary Children’s for his Cranial surgery. This was a MAJOR surgery and he spent another week in the hospital. Carter’s final surgery from the complications of birth took place in February 2009 to correct his eye that was crossed, and he was happy and finally healthy.
In August of 2014 Carter had his right hip reconstructed and his femurs shortened and rotated. In June of 2015 the metal was removed from Carter’s femurs and to this date he has not had another surgery.
He did just have a follow up hip appointment and unfortunately we will be anticipating another hip surgery in the next couple of years.
He turned 9 on October 25, 2016. Carter does have Cerebral Palsy but is a very happy and social boy.
He loves to EAT all types of food, loves people, books, computers, his iPad, TV, music, School, church, playing with his brothers, and being tickled. And....he LOVES to swim!!
((((Of course he is a typical little boy and loves farts and burps to the point where he belly laughs about them.))))
Carter is the light of his family. His smile and "hello’s" melt hearts with everyone he meets.
Ongoing treatment for Carter consists of quarterly Phenol injections in his legs to help relieve the tightness due to the Cerebral Palsy.
He is also followed annually for his vision to ensure his eyes stay the way they need to for him to be able to see.
He has monthly physical therapy for stretching and working on correct body positioning. He is followed every 6 months to ensure his hip and spine continue to hold up against the challenges CP has on his body.
WHAT IS CP & HOW IS IT CAUSED?
Cerebral Palsy or CP is really an umbrella term that denotes a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in development. CP is not genetic, nor is it a disease. CP is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain and can occur during pregnancy, during childbirth, or after birth up to about age 3. It’s best defined as a central motor dysfunction affecting muscle tone, posture, and movement due to a non-progressive defect or lesion of the immature brain. CP is a broad category and is mostly defined by several different subtypes and mixtures of those subtypes. A very common type of CP is one that features Spasticity. There is no known cure for CP, only efforts attempting to treat and prevent complications. CP occurs in about 2.1 per 1,000 live births. Improvements in the care of newborns have helped to reduce the number of babies who develop CP.
HOW DOES CP AFFECT CARTER?
Carter’s actual diagnosis is called Quadriplegic Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Quadriplegic means that it affects all 4 limbs of his body. Spastic means that he has a hard time controlling his limbs and that they don’t always do what the brain wants them to do. Carter is also wheelchair bound for getting around. He doesn’t sit up on his own. He cannot feed himself, although he does eat all regular food, this is uncommon for a person to have such severe CP but still be able to eat actual food. He can scoot around on the floor on his stomach to play with toys. He does like to play in a walker outside or at school, but isn’t fast and has little sense of direction or fear or where he is going. He is considered mostly nonverbal, however he is learning, and currently repeats a ton of words. We are able to communicate with him very well, he definitely understands us and is responding more and more to us verbally the older he gets. He relies on a caregiver for ALL personal needs.
PICTURES OF CARTER
THANK YOU!!
THANK YOU!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Yep...I'm one of "those" friends...
You know the ones - -
Some people refer to it as being persistent or tenacious & at times just plain ole' pestering.
In this case, I believe WHOLEHEARTEDLY that my persistance will pay off in so many ways and this is why I started this GOFUNDME for my good friends.
Will you take a moment to read these deets?
I sincerely THANK YOU for your time and support.
:) :)
BASIC DEETS:
WHO: Carter Nelson
(a.k.a. Mr. Pineview, Carter sauce, C-Man, Peanut -- just to name a few)
WHAT: A new crib/bed that will meet his special needs.
WHEN: From now, until we raise all the funds!
**Construction of bed will begin late February with the generous partnership of Jeremy Peterson, Axios Studios.** (https://www.facebook.com/axiosstudiosllc/)
WHERE: St. George, Utah
HOW: As a team of course! :) We can't do this project without your generous support. :) :) :)
WHY: ((Well...as a mother who also has a special needs child, here's where I get off on a bit of a tangent.))
There are so many "why's" that I would fill up this whole page -- just on the "why's".
Here are just a couple:
1) People talk about "saving" the whales, tortoises, birds, etc...((all great causes)) - - but, my new saying is:
"SAVE THE BACK!"
****Picture this....Carter weighs approximately 80 pounds. As you will read further down in his story, his muscles are very tight, so lifting him up and down can be challenging. ("up" - "down" - "up" - down" - everything that is done to help this little guys is "lifting" and "bending" in some way.
...and......THE BACK TAKES A BEATING!
Having a custom bed built to a "higher" height will take the stress out of bending to change his diaper and dress him daily.
2) How many times have you laid in bed with your child to read with them, rub their back or just snuggle.
Most special needs kiddos need a railing of sorts to keep them safe, which typically means a crib type enclosure.
(((Last I checked, most adults don't fit into a crib.)))
This custom bed will be large enough for Carter to continue his growth AND strong enough for his mom/dad to climb in and snuggle him to sleep.
:) :) :)
Please take a look at the custom drawing that Jeremy has prepared. He is a talented craftsman who is ready, willing and able to create this crib/bed for Carter.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Crib For Carter project.
Check out his other pictures and grab a tissue as you read his story below.
Lots of love.....Tamara :) :) :)
CARTER'S NEW BED
CARTER'S STORY
On June 4, 2007 it was discovered that Andrew and Nikki Nelson would be welcoming twins into their family sometime in January, 2008.
However, on October 25, 2007 Carter and Hunter Nelson were born at 8:55 a.m., 11 weeks early. Carter weighed in at 2 pounds 13 ounces and Hunter weighed in at 2 pounds 15 ounces. They were born early due to a phenomenon called twin-to-twin transfusion, where one twin gives the other twin all the blood and doesn’t get any back. When they were born Hunter was a tight skinned purple baby as he was the twin receiving all the blood, while Carter was a shriveled up pasty gray looking baby. It was also determined that Carter suffered from Stage 3 and Stage 4 brain bleeds which could potentially cause Cerebral Palsy. Only time would tell though what the damage would do to his body.
He was born at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah and spent 5 days there before it was apparent that Carter would need more serious medical intervention.
On November 1, 2007 Carter was life flighted to Primary Children’s Medical Center where it was discovered he needed immediate life saving bowel surgery. He was rushed off to the surgery room and came out several hours later with an illeostomy; (this is where the bowels are placed in a small bag on the outside of the body to heal.)
Over the course of the next 7 weeks Carter would stay at Primary’s to grow. During those 7 weeks, Carter underwent many test and procedures. It was discovered that he had holes in his brain from the brain bleeds at birth for being so early which could possibly cause Cerebral Palsy. But again, only time would tell. Both boys came home from the NICU on December 24, 2007. It was the best Christmas present ever!
In February of 2008 Carter returned to Primary Children’s for the take down surgery on his bowels. He struggled with recovery and spent 2 more weeks in the hospital to heal. Over the next few months many doctors were seen to discuss the needs of Carter. One of the items was that Carter would need Cranial surgery to fix his pointy forehead.
There were 2 reasons for this surgery:
1- was so he would feel better and have a more normal looking forehead so that
2 - he would look more like his twin brother.
So, in September 2008, Carter went back up to Primary Children’s for his Cranial surgery. This was a MAJOR surgery and he spent another week in the hospital. Carter’s final surgery from the complications of birth took place in February 2009 to correct his eye that was crossed, and he was happy and finally healthy.
In August of 2014 Carter had his right hip reconstructed and his femurs shortened and rotated. In June of 2015 the metal was removed from Carter’s femurs and to this date he has not had another surgery.
He did just have a follow up hip appointment and unfortunately we will be anticipating another hip surgery in the next couple of years.
He turned 9 on October 25, 2016. Carter does have Cerebral Palsy but is a very happy and social boy.
He loves to EAT all types of food, loves people, books, computers, his iPad, TV, music, School, church, playing with his brothers, and being tickled. And....he LOVES to swim!!
((((Of course he is a typical little boy and loves farts and burps to the point where he belly laughs about them.))))
Carter is the light of his family. His smile and "hello’s" melt hearts with everyone he meets.
Ongoing treatment for Carter consists of quarterly Phenol injections in his legs to help relieve the tightness due to the Cerebral Palsy.
He is also followed annually for his vision to ensure his eyes stay the way they need to for him to be able to see.
He has monthly physical therapy for stretching and working on correct body positioning. He is followed every 6 months to ensure his hip and spine continue to hold up against the challenges CP has on his body.
WHAT IS CP & HOW IS IT CAUSED?
Cerebral Palsy or CP is really an umbrella term that denotes a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in development. CP is not genetic, nor is it a disease. CP is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain and can occur during pregnancy, during childbirth, or after birth up to about age 3. It’s best defined as a central motor dysfunction affecting muscle tone, posture, and movement due to a non-progressive defect or lesion of the immature brain. CP is a broad category and is mostly defined by several different subtypes and mixtures of those subtypes. A very common type of CP is one that features Spasticity. There is no known cure for CP, only efforts attempting to treat and prevent complications. CP occurs in about 2.1 per 1,000 live births. Improvements in the care of newborns have helped to reduce the number of babies who develop CP.
HOW DOES CP AFFECT CARTER?
Carter’s actual diagnosis is called Quadriplegic Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Quadriplegic means that it affects all 4 limbs of his body. Spastic means that he has a hard time controlling his limbs and that they don’t always do what the brain wants them to do. Carter is also wheelchair bound for getting around. He doesn’t sit up on his own. He cannot feed himself, although he does eat all regular food, this is uncommon for a person to have such severe CP but still be able to eat actual food. He can scoot around on the floor on his stomach to play with toys. He does like to play in a walker outside or at school, but isn’t fast and has little sense of direction or fear or where he is going. He is considered mostly nonverbal, however he is learning, and currently repeats a ton of words. We are able to communicate with him very well, he definitely understands us and is responding more and more to us verbally the older he gets. He relies on a caregiver for ALL personal needs.
PICTURES OF CARTER
THANK YOU!!
THANK YOU!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Organizer and beneficiary
TAMARA FOSTER
Organizer
Saint George, UT
Nikki Nelson
Beneficiary