Donation protected
Dear friends,
I am writing this on behalf of Jessica, my best friend of over 25 years (since kindergarten!), and her husband Steven.
As many know, Jessica and Steven are parents to a darling boy named Ethan. Some of you may also know that Ethan was born with an AVF (An arteriovenous fistula, or AVF, is an abnormal connection of vessels in the tissues around the brain or spinal cord) in his brain, and had been working through the process to have surgery done to get him fixed up since birth. On September 8th, he showed signs of it rupturing, and Ethan and family went to OHSU via ambulance as a precaution. Unfortunately, the AVF ruptured upon arrival, and Ethan was rushed to emergency surgery. When he got there he experienced numerous seizures and was in critical condition.
Despite the events that transpired, Ethan did really well in surgery, and stayed stable the whole time. Part of his brain did receive damage from the immense pressure, specifically the part that controls motor skills on his left side.
On Monday September 9th, Ethan started seizing really badly, and the medicine provided to halt the seizures caused him to stop breathing. A breathing tube was placed to get him stabilized enough for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, a scan that can produce detailed pictures of parts of the body, including the brain), then an EEG. An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test used to find problems related to electrical activity of the brain. An EEGtracks and records brain wave patterns. Small metal discs with thin wires are placed on the scalp, and then send signals to a computer to record the results.
Post MRI, everything looked good. When medicine was given for the seizures, it over relaxed him and his lungs got "stuck" more or less. Doctors said there doesn't seem to be anything concerning, so they think it was just meds interaction.
The next day, Ethan was still having more seizures, but began being monitored by an EEG and video camera by neurologist constantly. His primary care provider came to visit and to check on him too!
On the 11th, Ethan received a new round of anti-seizure medicine called ketamine. Sounds like it's something the doctors tried that showed improvement, so he will not need to be intubated at this time. His arms are currently less swollen, but still elevated to decrease swelling so doctors can put IVs in them later. Right now Ethan has an IV in a foot. There was progress on this day! He opened his eyes and grabbed Mommy and Daddy’s fingers when they put him into a foamy chair to sit up.
As of September 12th, Ethan had a much better night - his seizures had about a 3 hour spread, versus every 30minutes yesterday evening. He's on a constant drip of ketamine which seems to be working, as well as a few other oral medications through his feeding tube. Speaking of feeding tube, all of his nutrition is now from Jessica's breast milk, which is awesome! He's also still hooked up to the EEG. There's still talk about putting the breathing tube back in and hitting him with a really heavy round of medication that would essentially put him in a near coma state, to more or less get the brain to "reset". A BIG win - his last seizure was 9:45 this morning! The next goal is keeping him on these meds on a drip for about 2 days and then weaning him off as brain swelling and irritation decreases.
Currently, Ethan will probably be in the ICU at minimum the rest of the week. Both Jessica and Steven have taken a month off work while working through this time with Ethan. There have been a TON of people wanting to help, and this means SO much to my dear friends, Jessica and Steven! Right now, food and basic supplies have been covered while Ethan is in the hospital. My hope in setting up this page is that friends, family, and supporters can contribute to helping Jessica and Steven with Ethan's medical bills as well as lost income for time off work. Any amount helps! This is my best friend who means the world to me. Even leaving kind words of encouragement, positive quotes, and good words and prayers are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you friends for your support!
#TeamEthan
I am writing this on behalf of Jessica, my best friend of over 25 years (since kindergarten!), and her husband Steven.
As many know, Jessica and Steven are parents to a darling boy named Ethan. Some of you may also know that Ethan was born with an AVF (An arteriovenous fistula, or AVF, is an abnormal connection of vessels in the tissues around the brain or spinal cord) in his brain, and had been working through the process to have surgery done to get him fixed up since birth. On September 8th, he showed signs of it rupturing, and Ethan and family went to OHSU via ambulance as a precaution. Unfortunately, the AVF ruptured upon arrival, and Ethan was rushed to emergency surgery. When he got there he experienced numerous seizures and was in critical condition.
Despite the events that transpired, Ethan did really well in surgery, and stayed stable the whole time. Part of his brain did receive damage from the immense pressure, specifically the part that controls motor skills on his left side.
On Monday September 9th, Ethan started seizing really badly, and the medicine provided to halt the seizures caused him to stop breathing. A breathing tube was placed to get him stabilized enough for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, a scan that can produce detailed pictures of parts of the body, including the brain), then an EEG. An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test used to find problems related to electrical activity of the brain. An EEGtracks and records brain wave patterns. Small metal discs with thin wires are placed on the scalp, and then send signals to a computer to record the results.
Post MRI, everything looked good. When medicine was given for the seizures, it over relaxed him and his lungs got "stuck" more or less. Doctors said there doesn't seem to be anything concerning, so they think it was just meds interaction.
The next day, Ethan was still having more seizures, but began being monitored by an EEG and video camera by neurologist constantly. His primary care provider came to visit and to check on him too!
On the 11th, Ethan received a new round of anti-seizure medicine called ketamine. Sounds like it's something the doctors tried that showed improvement, so he will not need to be intubated at this time. His arms are currently less swollen, but still elevated to decrease swelling so doctors can put IVs in them later. Right now Ethan has an IV in a foot. There was progress on this day! He opened his eyes and grabbed Mommy and Daddy’s fingers when they put him into a foamy chair to sit up.
As of September 12th, Ethan had a much better night - his seizures had about a 3 hour spread, versus every 30minutes yesterday evening. He's on a constant drip of ketamine which seems to be working, as well as a few other oral medications through his feeding tube. Speaking of feeding tube, all of his nutrition is now from Jessica's breast milk, which is awesome! He's also still hooked up to the EEG. There's still talk about putting the breathing tube back in and hitting him with a really heavy round of medication that would essentially put him in a near coma state, to more or less get the brain to "reset". A BIG win - his last seizure was 9:45 this morning! The next goal is keeping him on these meds on a drip for about 2 days and then weaning him off as brain swelling and irritation decreases.
Currently, Ethan will probably be in the ICU at minimum the rest of the week. Both Jessica and Steven have taken a month off work while working through this time with Ethan. There have been a TON of people wanting to help, and this means SO much to my dear friends, Jessica and Steven! Right now, food and basic supplies have been covered while Ethan is in the hospital. My hope in setting up this page is that friends, family, and supporters can contribute to helping Jessica and Steven with Ethan's medical bills as well as lost income for time off work. Any amount helps! This is my best friend who means the world to me. Even leaving kind words of encouragement, positive quotes, and good words and prayers are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you friends for your support!
#TeamEthan
Organizer and beneficiary
Melissa Vinson
Organizer
Portland, OR
Steven Ellett
Beneficiary