Join Keat's Crew: Help Keating's Road to Recovery

We are raising money for our sweet nephew, Keating Taylor Stewart. Keating was born on June 24, 2021. It was a very long delivery and birth, resulting in a 4 week stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Keating had a strong heartbeat during the entire delivery but was not breathing after birth. He was resuscitated and immediately sent to the NICU. They discovered he was having seizures shortly after his arrival to the NICU, so he was transferred to Levine Children’s Hospital. He underwent continuous EEG monitoring to find the cause of his seizures and was placed on several antiseizure medications to control them.

After several days of monitoring, he was finally stable enough to undergo an MRI. The results showed the devastating news that he sustained a brain injury called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). HIE is a type of brain injury caused by insufficient oxygenated blood flow to the brain. HIE is graded as mild, moderate, or severe, and Keating was determined to have a moderate to severe injury. There are a lot of unknowns with a diagnosis of HIE, so a future prognosis cannot be made yet. It is basically a “wait and see” approach to determine if he shows any delays at developmental milestones, including cognitive function and motor skills. Keating’s HIE injury may cause health conditions such as ongoing seizure disorder, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and other speech and language problems. Another area impacted by his diagnosis was Keat’s ability to feed. He initially had no suck or gag reflex, which prompted his start with speech therapy. Through this process, he was able to regain some of these reflexes, although they were not strong enough for him to be able to feed independently. Because of this, Keat had to undergo surgery to insert a tube into his stomach for feedings.

While there is a lot of uncertainty about his future, there are certain measures that can be taken immediately in order to try to mitigate the impact of the brain injury. Some of these include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, craniosacral therapy, and working with a brain integration specialist. There is also a relatively new and promising treatment called hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). HBOT would consist of placing Keating in a pressurized chamber where he intermittently breathes 100% oxygen with the hope that it may help improve neurological outcomes. While some therapies will be covered by insurance, many will be paid for out of pocket, and the HBOT alone would cost in excess of $12,000. In addition, it is only offered in select states, so there would be numerous travel costs associated with it. The financial burden will likely be exorbitant, so in order for Keating to realistically have access to all of these treatments, Jess and Bekah will need our help.

Early intervention is key for infants with HIE. An incredible thing about the brain, especially in newborns, is its plasticity. A common phrase is “Neurons that fire together, wire together;” these neurons fire and make new connections, growth, and reorganization in the brain through these different therapies. Jess and Bekah are determined to do everything they can to care for and support Keating, and they are so appreciative of all the love and support they’ve received so far. We wanted to create this as a way to organize and make it easier to give any financial support you’re looking to send their way.

-Pat and Hannah

Note from Jess and Bekah:

Does this all sound overwhelming? Because it has been, and it is. As first time parents, we expected to be perpetually exhausted; however, what we hadn’t planned for was the around the clock care including managing medications, medical equipment, therapy appointments, and doctor consultations. The start of Keating’s life has been riddled with challenges, yet he has responded by showing what a fighter he truly is. On a daily basis, his resilience is on display, giving us hope and optimism as he continues to progress. We are eternally grateful for your kind thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and assistance with meals, and we ask for your continued support with those; they have truly helped to carry us through during some of our darkest days. We are both so eager to pay forward the love and support we’ve received, and we truly cannot thank each one of you enough. Thanks so much for being a part of #KeatsCrew!