Hi Everyone!
I am so happy I found this board. I will post my nieces story and I hope to be able to find helpful information for my family as we continue to funraise and fight on for Mikaela.
PLEASE HELP SAVE MIKAELA JAYDE MAGNER
Mikaela Jayde Magner is a 2 1/2 year old, Ocean County girl, who is very sick and needs the life saving medical treatment Stem Cell Regeneration. Mikaela suffers from a severe Seizure Disorder that has caused her to wear a helmet to protect her head from further brain damage.
Mikaela was born April 24 2007 healthy under the care of Dr. Janet Henderson in Asbury NJ. At Eight Months old, she contracted Viral Meningitis. The Viral Meningitis she had caused a near fatal stroke and has destroyed a large portion of the left side of her brain. The left side of the brain is used for understanding and using language (listening, reading, speaking and writing)and also controlling the right side of the body.
Mikaela was in Jersey Shore Medical for a month then discharged to Children Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick for intense inpatient therapy. She was then discharged home and was to receive therapy services through early intervention. Mikaela continued to make slow but steady progress, up until 16 months when she began to have the head drop seizures. Since then Mikaela has been on every FDA / Non FDA approved anti-seizure medication with no improvements. The seizures continued to progressively get worse. Because of all the medications and everything that this 2 1/2 year old little girl has gone through it has weakend her immune system so she can't even fight off the common cold.
In Sept of 2009, Mikaela's parents took her to Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a Seizure Specialist, who informed them that Mikaela more then likely is fully or partially blind in her right eye. The doctor also informed her parents that Mikaela would need brain surgery to stop the seizures but the surgery could potentially impair her more physically and mentally then she already is.
Mikaela's mother, Sarah, started researching Stem Cell Regeneration treatments and found out Mikaela is a candidate for the procedure. She came across Dr. Burton Feirnerman, who has done this treatment to several brain injured children with much success. This treatment is a better chance of having her become a healthy happy little girl without the further risk of more brain damage. It could repair the damaged parts of her brain, which would stop the seizures. It also could give her back her vision in the right eye. Treatment is not allowed in the United States even though the research was just passed by President Obama. Treatment is legal in Peru at the cost of $25,000. NJ Family Care Insurance will not cover Dr. Devinsky or the Stem Cell Treatment or even help with payments. Family and friends have stepped forward to aggressively begin fundraising so that Mikaela can receive the treatment she so desperately needs.
Mikaela's mother, Sarah, had to leave her job because of Mikaela's medical condition and this has left very limited finances coming into the household.
We are hoping to have raised the money for her so she can have the procedure done in March/April... We have a little more than half the money and we are aggressively fundraising and have a benefit on 1/31.
If anyone has any info on the travel to Peru.. than would be helpful. My sister is very young to begin with and having to deal with a sick child I am trying to make any of this situation easier for her. I have found that continental airlines makes the direct flight... Im wondering if Mikaela could handl such a long flight though... I did see someone mentioned flying down to florida and then going the rest of the way..
Thanks for any insight...
Holly
I am so happy I found this board. I will post my nieces story and I hope to be able to find helpful information for my family as we continue to funraise and fight on for Mikaela.
PLEASE HELP SAVE MIKAELA JAYDE MAGNER
Mikaela Jayde Magner is a 2 1/2 year old, Ocean County girl, who is very sick and needs the life saving medical treatment Stem Cell Regeneration. Mikaela suffers from a severe Seizure Disorder that has caused her to wear a helmet to protect her head from further brain damage.
Mikaela was born April 24 2007 healthy under the care of Dr. Janet Henderson in Asbury NJ. At Eight Months old, she contracted Viral Meningitis. The Viral Meningitis she had caused a near fatal stroke and has destroyed a large portion of the left side of her brain. The left side of the brain is used for understanding and using language (listening, reading, speaking and writing)and also controlling the right side of the body.
Mikaela was in Jersey Shore Medical for a month then discharged to Children Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick for intense inpatient therapy. She was then discharged home and was to receive therapy services through early intervention. Mikaela continued to make slow but steady progress, up until 16 months when she began to have the head drop seizures. Since then Mikaela has been on every FDA / Non FDA approved anti-seizure medication with no improvements. The seizures continued to progressively get worse. Because of all the medications and everything that this 2 1/2 year old little girl has gone through it has weakend her immune system so she can't even fight off the common cold.
In Sept of 2009, Mikaela's parents took her to Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a Seizure Specialist, who informed them that Mikaela more then likely is fully or partially blind in her right eye. The doctor also informed her parents that Mikaela would need brain surgery to stop the seizures but the surgery could potentially impair her more physically and mentally then she already is.
Mikaela's mother, Sarah, started researching Stem Cell Regeneration treatments and found out Mikaela is a candidate for the procedure. She came across Dr. Burton Feirnerman, who has done this treatment to several brain injured children with much success. This treatment is a better chance of having her become a healthy happy little girl without the further risk of more brain damage. It could repair the damaged parts of her brain, which would stop the seizures. It also could give her back her vision in the right eye. Treatment is not allowed in the United States even though the research was just passed by President Obama. Treatment is legal in Peru at the cost of $25,000. NJ Family Care Insurance will not cover Dr. Devinsky or the Stem Cell Treatment or even help with payments. Family and friends have stepped forward to aggressively begin fundraising so that Mikaela can receive the treatment she so desperately needs.
Mikaela's mother, Sarah, had to leave her job because of Mikaela's medical condition and this has left very limited finances coming into the household.
We are hoping to have raised the money for her so she can have the procedure done in March/April... We have a little more than half the money and we are aggressively fundraising and have a benefit on 1/31.
If anyone has any info on the travel to Peru.. than would be helpful. My sister is very young to begin with and having to deal with a sick child I am trying to make any of this situation easier for her. I have found that continental airlines makes the direct flight... Im wondering if Mikaela could handl such a long flight though... I did see someone mentioned flying down to florida and then going the rest of the way..
Thanks for any insight...
Holly