Nick's Wheelchair Access Van Fund

Richard Robbins is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Beth Redding.

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Nick’s Need for a Wheelchair Accessible Van

My name is Dr. Richard Robbins. I am a Pittsburgh chiropractor that has been treating the Redding family for several years. I have seen the struggles of this family through the years, the adaptaion in schedules for work and Nick's siblings, and financial hurdles to overcome to get Nick the help and care he needs. I have decided to start this page to offer a helping hand, after everything that Nick has been through, he deserves to have mobility and independence. Please read on to find out more about Nick's story.

Nick loves video games, music, any Transformer movie, and of course the Pittsburgh Steelers! He loves the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, “I can transform ya” by Chris Brown, and “Happy” by Pharrell. He can recite every single word to all of the Transformer films. He is smart, compassionate, and considerate of others. Nick is quite the practical joker as well! He has his mom help him prank his nurse by putting rubber snakes in his medical charts. When she first opened the chart and screamed, her scream scared him, but then he laughed for days, happy that his prank had been pulled off.

As you read this story, keep in mind that with everything that Nick has been through, he remains resilient. He is still just a kid, trying to make the most out of his life and be with his family.

It all started the night of June 10th 2004. Five days after baby Nicholas was born a healthy twin, he suddenly stopped breathing at night. He was rushed to the hospital via ambulance, intubated, and diagnosed with sepsis from an E Coli infection. This infection led to a grade 2 Intraventricular hemorrhage and a 14 day stay in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit. The next month Nick was diagnosed with Acquired Hydrocephalus post-IVH in which a VP shunt was placed, with a revision the next day due to the distal part failing to work. From July 2004-August 2005, 10 shunt revisions were preformed due to scar tissue on ventricles and occluded catheters with multiple admissions for revisions, brain abscess, and placement of PICC line for home IV antibiotics.

At this point, Nick was still developing as a ‘normal’ child, even though he was behind in reaching milestones on time.

2005 wrapped up with two more surgeries for Nick, a craniotomy and shunt revision was preformed to remove separations in ventricles, and a hernia repair, followed by an adenoidectomy in 2009.
By 2011, at just 7 years old, more problems and operations surfaced for Nicholas. He started to lose his ability to walk. In April he underwent surgery to lengthen his right heel chord; he had a c1 laminectomy, removing parts of the bone on the vertebra to relieve pressure on his nerves. Nick had lost control of his bladder, bowels, and could no longer move his legs, his mother fought with the doctors to do more for him. Nick had an inpatient stay at The Children’s Institute until the end of September. In October he underwent another laminectomy from c2-c7 and stayed at the Children’s Institute until November 24th. He regained movement of his legs and was able to use the restroom again. By late December of 2011, Nick was able to walk with a walker!

In the spring of 2013 he began to have difficulty walking again. An MRI revealed scar tissue and 4th ventricle problems. In April he had another shunt revision and they replaced the catheter. On July 1st, 2013 Nick had posterior fossa decompression surgery (bone removal from the back of the skull and spine) without Chiari, 4th ventricular lysis of adhesions and modification to the shunt to add a catheter to the 4th ventricle. This surgery lasted 10 hours, as they removed the scar tissue. Unfortunately, it resulted in Nick being quadriplegic with slow progress and increased his seizure activity drastically. He also become incontinent and required a urinary catheterization and bowel assistance. After a two month long inpatient stay at The Children’s Institute and intense rehab therapy, he was released in September. Continuing outpatient rehab he slowly regained feeling in his body, Nick could move his head, arms, and hands, but not his legs. He was left with muscle spasticity and high tone throughout his legs and weakness in his torso.

March 2014 Nick went back for more surgery. From spring to summer he had 4 surgeries of shunt revisions and a catheter replacement. Also fixing exposed shunt hardware due to tissue breaking down from multiple revisions, treating a cerebral spinal fluid infection by placing external ventricular drains while the infection heals. Nick’s doctors finished up the summer and round of surgeries with a new shunt placement on the left side.

By the following summer, Nick had lost 15lbs. within a 7 month period due to anti-depressant medication, he was considered malnourished. The doctors decided to place a gastrointestinal tube for nourishment.
September 23rd 2015 Nick was struggling to breathe; he was admitted to Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Unit for respiratory distress. The next day Nick became neurologically unresponsive; he was intubated and rushed into surgery for another shunt revision. This is his 24th surgery in his 11 years of life. After days of being intubated, multiple medications, GJ tubes, PICC lines, arterial lines, catheters, tests, etc. ; he was extubated and put on a bi-pap breathing machine. Once again Nick is in for a 2 month ICU stay. Unable to move his arms, hands, or control his upper body, Nick is quadriplegic. Not being able to take big enough breathes or exhales on his own, his doctors suggested a tracheotomy and ventilator. This was the only option to get him out of the hospital and into inpatient rehabilitation, and eventually back home with his family. After the tracheotomy, Nick was inpatient at The Children’s Institute for three months and finally came home January 28th 2016. After everything he has gone through, Nick still cannot breathe on his own, and cannot physically move any part of his body with the exception of his head.

As a result of the most recent hospitalization, Nick’s family has gone through a transformation to be able to adapt to his physical and mental needs. He has gotten a motorized wheelchair that he can drive on his own using his chin and head controls, this is Nick’s independence. As Nick grows, his needs will also grow. Transporting him to multiple doctor appointments, therapies, family, and community events has become difficult without the aid of a wheelchair accessible van.

Nick comes from a family of four, his mother, twin sister, and younger brother. His parents divorced in 2009, though they both still took turns spending days with him in the hospital, taking countless unpaid days off of work through the past 12 years. This past year especially his mother has taken time off to adjust him to his new life at home, taking her salary down $7,000.00, while continuing to incur medical expenses and support her 3 kids.
As you may know, there is no grant or funding available for families that make more than $55,000.00 in a family of four, unless Nick was also intellectually disabled. After 12 years and 24 surgeries, and home renovations that need to be done for Nick, the expenses are mounting. Please help Nick and his family by donating today to provide him with a wheelchair accessible van.