Ireland Miller's Medical & Recovery Expenses

Hi! My name is Shaun aka Stitches a friend of Cordell & Stacie and I'm pleading for support from everyone who knows Cordell & Stacie and their overwhelming love for their daughter Ireland. Ireland is a lovely young vibrant girl always smiling and a super head strong young woman. She is a 12 yr old girl who unfortunately has suffered from a rare cavernoma (an unformed cluster of capallaries which happened to be in her spine) and she needed to be operated on immediately. She was rushed to Mission hospital which at the time she was evaluated by a great doctor who made the quick decision to have her airlifted to CHOC for an emergency procedure.

 

    We have no clue how much this is going to be but from my personal experience after my life threatening injury the medical out of pocket costs are overwhelming. There are many therapies, medical modalities, & daily tools needed for therapy which are extremely expensive & overwhelming for anyone!

 

    Doctors have concluded Ireland will be in the hospital for a while, they have indicated it could be months. As the doctor said this will be a marathon not a sprint because what she had is rare, but to have it in the spine is more rare and where it was located is super rare as it was right at the top in the spinal cord that basically controls everything south of her head. So before she went into surgery the surgeon said at this point she is a quadriplegic. A frightening thought but praying with God she will be fully healed.

 

   Right now, she has made huge steps. She has feeling in her right and left hand and legs which is huge. Plus she is starting to be able to move her left arm and her left leg very slightly.  Though this can be months to years as the spine takes a long time to heal but because she is a young, fit girl they are very optimistic. 

 

    Cordell & Stacie had to make a decision which was very difficult but necessary to get Ireland off the ventilator.  I know from my experience being on a ventilator with a tube down your throat breathing for you is the worst experience of my life & poor 12 year old Ireland who was riding bikes with her dad, playing soccer, doing tumbling, cheer, playing piano, drawing…living a normal adolescent childhood woke up unable to feel her leg and right arm. Trust me it is the scariest feeling of your life when you lose sensation and mobility! I can't imagine how a 12 yr old girl like Ireland is feeling going through all of this!

 

    The last two weeks have been a blur for Cordell & Stacie and her loving step parents Cherish & Dan. So, any encouraging words on this site along with any donations from the heart of all the people who know and are friends with them would be appreciated enormously! Hopefully the surf community can also rally for our good friend Cordell who has provided all of us such great memories, smiles, epic boards of enjoyment, his awesome friendship & personality. Any contribution and message will be read and appreciated by Ireland, Cordell, Stacie, & their family!

 

    They decided to do a tracheotomy for Ireland and get her off the ventilator as she is so eager to speak and interact and she is interacting now with all her funny silly faces!  It will be a bridge till her lungs are fully ready.  As you know this will be a long recovery with physical therapy etc.  She is still in the ICU and is showing improvement to the point the medical team is floored and they just keep pointing this back to God and all He is doing with Ireland.  Earlier this week when she squeezed the neurosurgeons hand the whole room cheered and he even got choked up.  She now has feeling in left and right arms/legs and can nod yes and on three days before she squeezed his hand she had none of this.  NO ONE thought she would be remotely where she is now.  Ireland is not one to sit still if you know her or not talk so she is perfectly built for this challenge and God has got her in the palm of His hand and absolutely nothing is outside of His plan.  We all must keep praying hard for Ireland's full recovery & thank you for all the thoughtful texts, messages, & support for Ireland and her complete healing and full recovery!

 

God Bless! Everyone Loves You, Supports You, & is Praying for You! Go Ireland! You Got this!

 

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