Baby Emerson
Donation protected
Hello All-
We wanted to start with our most sincere thank you. Really, THANK YOU.
Some of you may know, we are currently in Washington DC with our 5-week-old daughter, Emerson.
On Monday night, June 10th, 2019, Emmy started to become lethargic. She wasn’t acting herself; she wouldn’t eat and was listless. In the wee-hours Tuesday, Adam and I took her to Meritus Medical Centers Emergency room, where they recommended that she be transferred by helicopter to Children’s National Medical Center in D.C. This is so she could receive the best care, to figure out what was going on with our healthy newborn baby.
She was transferred from Meritus to the NICU, where we have met an amazing team of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists and many, many more ancillary staff. The team met us immediately upon the flights landing, arriving at her bedside. We told her story, answered questions as they immediately started testing and stabilizing her and shared the plan of treatment with us.
Although all her vitals/labs/xrays/head ultrasound/MRI/EEG have come back normal (heart, lungs, kidney, liver, and brain are all functioning normally) she is still in critical condition. She has a breathing and feeding tube to help assist her currently.
It was suggested by our Family doctor (who I called her frantically the night this all started) that she may have Infant botulism. Neurology was consulted, and after hearing her story; listening to us, the nurse practitioner, the doctor, and her sequence of events, they are almost certain that this is it.
Thursday, June 13th, Emmy received the medication “BabyBIG”
We are very cautiously optimistic about Emerson’s recovery as she is now showing physical signs of improvement from her previously paralyzed state. Father’s Day, she opened both eyes. She is ever so slightly moving her toes, feet, ankles, knees, hips, fingers, hands, mouth and tongue. While these things are ever so minut, they are something. We will wait the month for her sample results to confirm her diagnosis. As each day passes, we are hopeful the medication continues to work, and she continues to physically improve hour by hour.
Many, many, MANY people have reached out to us and we know you want to help. We feel your love and we thank you for supporting us, thinking of us, texting us, checking on us, offering to keep our other daughter, Hadley. We are creating this because we need help. We need help with gas, parking, hospital food, housing and the opportunity to be at her bedside and care for her daily. If you want to help us, this is how.
Here is a link to learn about Infant Botulism http://infantbotulism.org/general/faq.php
I will be updating this page every few days as I'm able to. Please keep checking on us, sending us messages, asking how we are, praying for us.....as this is very comforting, you are not bothering us. We are strong, but stronger together. Adam and I are doing okay, just cautious, as we don't want to loose hope. Each day is a new day.
We wanted to start with our most sincere thank you. Really, THANK YOU.
Some of you may know, we are currently in Washington DC with our 5-week-old daughter, Emerson.
On Monday night, June 10th, 2019, Emmy started to become lethargic. She wasn’t acting herself; she wouldn’t eat and was listless. In the wee-hours Tuesday, Adam and I took her to Meritus Medical Centers Emergency room, where they recommended that she be transferred by helicopter to Children’s National Medical Center in D.C. This is so she could receive the best care, to figure out what was going on with our healthy newborn baby.
She was transferred from Meritus to the NICU, where we have met an amazing team of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists and many, many more ancillary staff. The team met us immediately upon the flights landing, arriving at her bedside. We told her story, answered questions as they immediately started testing and stabilizing her and shared the plan of treatment with us.
Although all her vitals/labs/xrays/head ultrasound/MRI/EEG have come back normal (heart, lungs, kidney, liver, and brain are all functioning normally) she is still in critical condition. She has a breathing and feeding tube to help assist her currently.
It was suggested by our Family doctor (who I called her frantically the night this all started) that she may have Infant botulism. Neurology was consulted, and after hearing her story; listening to us, the nurse practitioner, the doctor, and her sequence of events, they are almost certain that this is it.
Thursday, June 13th, Emmy received the medication “BabyBIG”
We are very cautiously optimistic about Emerson’s recovery as she is now showing physical signs of improvement from her previously paralyzed state. Father’s Day, she opened both eyes. She is ever so slightly moving her toes, feet, ankles, knees, hips, fingers, hands, mouth and tongue. While these things are ever so minut, they are something. We will wait the month for her sample results to confirm her diagnosis. As each day passes, we are hopeful the medication continues to work, and she continues to physically improve hour by hour.
Many, many, MANY people have reached out to us and we know you want to help. We feel your love and we thank you for supporting us, thinking of us, texting us, checking on us, offering to keep our other daughter, Hadley. We are creating this because we need help. We need help with gas, parking, hospital food, housing and the opportunity to be at her bedside and care for her daily. If you want to help us, this is how.
Here is a link to learn about Infant Botulism http://infantbotulism.org/general/faq.php
I will be updating this page every few days as I'm able to. Please keep checking on us, sending us messages, asking how we are, praying for us.....as this is very comforting, you are not bothering us. We are strong, but stronger together. Adam and I are doing okay, just cautious, as we don't want to loose hope. Each day is a new day.
Organizer
Jillian Martin Simmons
Organizer
Martinsburg, WV