Shawnie’s Medical and Therapeutic Relief
Donation protected
On May 18th 2022 Shawnie attempted to take his own life. He tried to do so with a gun, however the large caliber round did not penetrate the skull. That is an absolute miracle. However, cost of medical services and therapy bills have presented themselves and the need for relief is very much needed. Mental health is not an easy topic to deal with or to talk about. If we are able to provide any relief for this family it WILL take some pressure off the already strenuous situation. Shawnie is a bright, energetic, and faithful young man. Please consider giving to this fund to help out this amazing family! Here is the full story written by the family:
On May 18, 2022 Shawnie sustained a traumatic brain injury from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. It was not an accident. While attempted suicide is not easy to discuss, it is important that Shawnie’s story be talked about because this further destigmatizes the mental health struggles that adolescents face. There were no prominent red flags to indicate Shawnie was depressed or struggling with suicidal thoughts. He was active as the Keeper for his club soccer team (Impact FC) and looking forward to a weekend tournament that he and his teammates had worked toward all year. He was working toward his blue belt in karate at Phoenix Martial Arts and had just started learning how to become an instructor. He was active in his church, serving as an acolyte at Augustana Lutheran Church. He was talking about plans for the summer and how excited he was to hike new trails. The morning of his suicide attempt he logged into and attended zoom lectures for his online school classes (Wittenberg Academy). He was just one short week away from completing the sixth grade with straight A’s with classes like Logic and Greek. Thanks solely to the grace of God, the bullet did not penetrate his skull, but it did impact with enough force to drive some fragments from his skull into his brain. Since the gunshot injured the cerebellum Shawnie’s balance and coordination have been affected. He also has weakness in his left arm and hand. He spent six days in the PICU at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston Salem, NC. He was hooked to a ventilator and had an intracranial pressure monitoring (ICP) device implanted in the top of his head that monitored the pressure inside of his skull. For several days it was touch and go. There was the constant threat of the pressure getting too high and Shawnie needing to have part of his skull removed. Thankfully the pressure did not stay dangerously high for too long and eventually it stayed low enough they were able to remove the ICP monitor. He would go on to spend 12 days on the recovery floor dealing with painful headaches after a second surgery to clean up the entry and exit wounds. Bright lights and loud sounds would cause Shawnie to cry out in pain. He was a shell of his former self while the swelling in his brain continued to lessen. He just wanted the headaches to stop and doctors were not sure if the constant pain would become his new normal. To hear him cry out for relief all throughout the night, and being helpless to take the pain away, was very difficult. Finally, through a combination of medication and time, the headaches began to lessen and his mood began to stabilize. He began to smile at little things again, to answer questions with more than one or two words, and then, one day, he finally laughed again. It was a sound we didn’t think we’d ever hear again. Shawnie would go on to spend a total of 11 days in the child behavioral unit at Brenner’s. It was a big adjustment only seeing Mom and Dad a few hours a day after we were with him 24 hours a day before that, but he was able to learn some healthy coping mechanisms to better handle his emotions. He will continue counseling for the foreseeable future. Shawnie then spent two weeks receiving inpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC. He entered Levine needing the assistance of a walker and shuffling while trying to walk. He left being able to walk on his own, just needing reminders to take long steps. His balance and coordination still need work and the strength has not fully returned to his left hand. He will receive outpatient therapy for at least the next several months in hopes that he continues to make improvements and can get back to where he was before physically. Mentally and emotionally, he has also come a long way. He seems more and more like his old self every day, laughing, telling jokes and riddles, playing with his cat. He can’t wait to get back to karate and soccer, wants to go hiking again, and is talking about what he wants to be when he grows up (as of now, it fluctuates between a weaponsmith and an engineer). He spent a total of 37 days in hospitals, which all things considered, is a blessing it wasn’t longer. There’s no logical reason why Shawnie survived that day. It is only due to the grace and mercy of God that he is still with us and doing as well as he is. So above all, we covet your prayers. Pray with thanksgiving to God for all the healing and recovery that has already happened, and pray for continued healing and recovery. We have no idea what the future looks like for our family, but we trust in Christ and his promises. If you would like to offer additional support to our family during this time, you
On May 18, 2022 Shawnie sustained a traumatic brain injury from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. It was not an accident. While attempted suicide is not easy to discuss, it is important that Shawnie’s story be talked about because this further destigmatizes the mental health struggles that adolescents face. There were no prominent red flags to indicate Shawnie was depressed or struggling with suicidal thoughts. He was active as the Keeper for his club soccer team (Impact FC) and looking forward to a weekend tournament that he and his teammates had worked toward all year. He was working toward his blue belt in karate at Phoenix Martial Arts and had just started learning how to become an instructor. He was active in his church, serving as an acolyte at Augustana Lutheran Church. He was talking about plans for the summer and how excited he was to hike new trails. The morning of his suicide attempt he logged into and attended zoom lectures for his online school classes (Wittenberg Academy). He was just one short week away from completing the sixth grade with straight A’s with classes like Logic and Greek. Thanks solely to the grace of God, the bullet did not penetrate his skull, but it did impact with enough force to drive some fragments from his skull into his brain. Since the gunshot injured the cerebellum Shawnie’s balance and coordination have been affected. He also has weakness in his left arm and hand. He spent six days in the PICU at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston Salem, NC. He was hooked to a ventilator and had an intracranial pressure monitoring (ICP) device implanted in the top of his head that monitored the pressure inside of his skull. For several days it was touch and go. There was the constant threat of the pressure getting too high and Shawnie needing to have part of his skull removed. Thankfully the pressure did not stay dangerously high for too long and eventually it stayed low enough they were able to remove the ICP monitor. He would go on to spend 12 days on the recovery floor dealing with painful headaches after a second surgery to clean up the entry and exit wounds. Bright lights and loud sounds would cause Shawnie to cry out in pain. He was a shell of his former self while the swelling in his brain continued to lessen. He just wanted the headaches to stop and doctors were not sure if the constant pain would become his new normal. To hear him cry out for relief all throughout the night, and being helpless to take the pain away, was very difficult. Finally, through a combination of medication and time, the headaches began to lessen and his mood began to stabilize. He began to smile at little things again, to answer questions with more than one or two words, and then, one day, he finally laughed again. It was a sound we didn’t think we’d ever hear again. Shawnie would go on to spend a total of 11 days in the child behavioral unit at Brenner’s. It was a big adjustment only seeing Mom and Dad a few hours a day after we were with him 24 hours a day before that, but he was able to learn some healthy coping mechanisms to better handle his emotions. He will continue counseling for the foreseeable future. Shawnie then spent two weeks receiving inpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC. He entered Levine needing the assistance of a walker and shuffling while trying to walk. He left being able to walk on his own, just needing reminders to take long steps. His balance and coordination still need work and the strength has not fully returned to his left hand. He will receive outpatient therapy for at least the next several months in hopes that he continues to make improvements and can get back to where he was before physically. Mentally and emotionally, he has also come a long way. He seems more and more like his old self every day, laughing, telling jokes and riddles, playing with his cat. He can’t wait to get back to karate and soccer, wants to go hiking again, and is talking about what he wants to be when he grows up (as of now, it fluctuates between a weaponsmith and an engineer). He spent a total of 37 days in hospitals, which all things considered, is a blessing it wasn’t longer. There’s no logical reason why Shawnie survived that day. It is only due to the grace and mercy of God that he is still with us and doing as well as he is. So above all, we covet your prayers. Pray with thanksgiving to God for all the healing and recovery that has already happened, and pray for continued healing and recovery. We have no idea what the future looks like for our family, but we trust in Christ and his promises. If you would like to offer additional support to our family during this time, you
Organizer
Gaven Mize
Organizer
Hickory, NC