Teagen's Time: My life with Cerebral Palsy
"The greater your storm, the brighter your rainbow." My name is Teagen, I am 27 months old (Christmas eve baby). I was born 6 weeks premature and my lungs were still immature. I required some assistance but the medicine I was suppose to receive to help my lungs never came, which caused me to go into respiratory distress and the doctors were negligent and placed my breathing tube in my stomach instead of my lungs. This caused me to suffer a hypoxic ischemic injury (lack of oxygen to the brain). I needed to be resuscitated twice. I was then transferred to a different hospital with a NICU. They had to give me a blood transfusion because my blood became so toxic from the lack of oxygen.
This hospital's NICU saved my life, which I stayed at for 19 days. At 1 year old I was diagnosed with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy. Becasue of my mixed tone (hypertonia & hypotonia) I can not roll over, sit, crawl, stand, or walk. I am non-verbral but I know how to get what I want. I have difficulty swallowing so I recently got a g-tube placed 1/23/17 to help me grow. I've already gained 4lbs in a month! (After finding out I had an undiagonised milk allergy all this time). I go to a lot of doctor appointments and have therapy everyday. I am so smart and am getting stronger everyday and have two big brothers who are my motivation. Failure is not an option! My mom and dad call me their little warrior and I prove that with all my bravery! And I have the most contagious smile, ask anyone!!! "Raising a child with special needs does not take a special family. It makes a family special."
