Show Your Support for Rebecca, Ryan & Baby Emmy

Many of you know Rebecca Trudeau as the bright, shining, smiley face that used to greet you here at Doggie Detailing in Trenton! She also groomed many of your big hairy shedding dogs! Rebecca has been a Bather/Receptionist at Doggie Detailing for the past 4 years.

 

Rebecca left us about 2 months ago to start her maternity leave and boy do we ever miss her.

 

Since that time Rebecca gave birth to her beautiful baby girl, Emmy, as seen in the pictures here.

 

Emmy was born with a very rare condition called Dandy Walker.

 

Dandy-Walker Malformation (DWM) is a brain malformation that effects the area of the brain that helps coordinate movement, and is also involved with cognition and behavior.

 

• Developmental delays in motor and language skills such as sitting up, walking and talking.

• Poor muscle tone, balance and coordination.

• Problems with eye movement, mainly jerky eye movement.

• Vision and hearing impairment.

• Seizures.

 

PHACE Syndrome is a collection of disorders characterized by a large infantile hemangioma (benign tumor, presenting as a strawberry mark) on a child's face, scalp and neck, together with a combination of defects in the brain, blood vessels, eyes, heart and chest.

The cause of PHACE is unknown, and the condition is uncommon. Its name is an acronym describing the collection of anomalies that together comprise the condition:

• Posterior fossa: congenital brain malformations, most commonly affecting the back of the brain, such as Dandy-Walker cysts

• Hemangioma: a benign vascular tumor or anomaly that, in children with PHACE, usually appears as a red birthmark on the face, scalp or neck

• Arterial lesions: abnormal arteries, usually in the head or neck

• Cardiac abnormalities or Coarctation of the aorta: congenital defects in the heart and its major blood vessels

• Eye or Endocrine abnormalities

 

From Rebecca:

 

"Emmy was diagnosed with Dandy Walker while I was pregnant around 28 weeks when Doctors noticed a slight brain abnormality on ultrasound imaging. Upon further investigations including, MRI, ammnioscentisis and echocardiogram, nothing further was decided and we waited until birth to do more testing. After arriving at 36 weeks gestational age, Emmy was taken to the NICU at Kingston General Hospital 2 hours after birth. Within the first 4 days of her life she had an MRI, ultrasound on her head and an echocardiogram. At 5 days old it was decided to transport her to Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario to be under the care of a more specialized team. She underwent more testing and Doctors discovered Hydrocephalus, and at 11 days old she had a Ventriculoperitoneal shunt inserted into her brain to drain the fluid to her stomach. Emmy remained in the NICU at CHEO until 14 days old when she was finally released to come home. We have been back to Ottawa for follow up appointments twice since June 21st and will countless more times.

In addition, Emmy was diagnosed with "Phaces Syndrome" at 3 days old, which can be seen with large red marks on her face."

 

Emmy is a tough little fighter!! She has already undergone a multitude of tests, MRI'S, cat scans, blood tests etc. Not the very least of which, brain surgery at 11 days old!! Needless to say, Emmy has a tough road ahead! Her world will include a endless doctors appointments, tests, procedures, and developmental delays.

 

All of this is a lot to take in, I know. What we are trying to do with this GoFundMe is simply show our support to little Emmy and her parents, Rebecca and Ryan by a monetary donation. We can't take away Emmy's Dandy Walker or any of their pain or anxiety with what the future holds but we can help support them financially. Countless trips to Ottawa, hotel stays, eating on the road, parking at the hospital, medications, etc it all adds up! The road ahead is bound to be a long bumpy one.

 

Please help support Rebecca and Ryan during this difficult time.