Help Camden Walk Again!
Our dear friend Jess's 14 month old baby, Camden, was admitted to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee two weeks ago due to sudden paralysis of the legs, neck and core along with difficulty swallowing. He was put in isolation for fear of him having AFM (Acute Flaccid Myelitis), which is a rare, but serious, condition that effects the nervous system. There is unfortunately no full-proof treatment or cure for this polio-like illness. Although there isn't a 100% confirmed diagnosis for Camden, after being sedated for 2 MRI's, getting the max amount of blood drawn for testing, poked and prodded endless times, the team of doctors are leaning towards AFM for his diagnosis. (Since AFM is rare, there is no concrete test to confirm the illness).
Camden has had some pain throughout his stay at the hospital and has struggled with the inability to do the things that he was so used to doing just two short weeks ago. He has been fed through a tube since his first day at the hospital and will continue to be tube fed for an undetermined amount of time. Due to the severe complications that AFM can cause from a respiratory standpoint, they can not risk him eating any solid foods.
As far as treatment goes, Camden has received 5 IVIG infusions to help fight off the virus. After 1.5 weeks of no improvement, he finally started to regain some neck and core control for short periods of time (yay!). He was fitted for a custom leg brace and was recently transported to a Hospital in Chicago for continued care and rehabilitation. The Chicago hospital has treated 4 cases of AFM so the family is hopeful that their knowledge/experience dealing with this illness will be instrumental in Camden's recovery.
His family is holding out hope that Camden will regain full use of his legs but at this point the doctors cannot commit to any guarantees regarding when, or if, this may occur. The projected recovery time for him at this point is a year.
As you can imagine, this has been a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings of helplessness for Jess (mother), Joey (father), and Evaya (sister). Jess has been by Camden's side since October 27th, being the best advocate she can be for her sweet son. This emergency situation has made it impossible for her to work, and will likely require her to provide around the clock care for Camden over the next year or more. The extended unpaid time off will put the family in an extremely tough spot to pay basic monthly bills, and the large medical expenses will further complicate their financial situation. If we can raise even a small amount of money to help Jess focus a little less on the bills and more on helping support Camden on his long journey it will be greatly appreciated.
Camden is a fighter (much like his mommy) and has continued to remain in good spirits throughout his time in the hospital. His resilience has continued to impress the family and medical staff, and they continue to stay hopeful for a full recovery! His newest obsessions includes playing with all of the medical essentials like stethoscopes, thermometer, blood pressure cuff and plastic medicine syringes. :)
Thank you in advance for your consideration, for your donations, and your continued prayers for Camden and his family throughout this journey.
