Save For Samuel
Samuel arrived full term after a healthy pregnancy. He weighed 3.7kg. That's where "normal" ends for Samuel.
He got into difficulties in labour, and after 2 deteriorating blood oxygen samples, was delivered by emergency C-section.
He was unresponsive, with a tiny feint heart beat which soon stopped. He was helped by the crash team at Newcastle's RVI hospital, and finally after 23 minutes and 3 intubation attempts had a stable heart rate.
He was starved of blood and oxygen while the team saved his precious life, and suffered a brain injury. He was on a ventilator for 6 days having being cooled for 72 hours to protect his brain. He had seizures as he was cooled, and again after warming.
Samuel removed his own ventilation tube and breathed on his own 3 days after a failed attempt to remove it by the doctor where he took 2 breaths then stopped. He fought for his life for 3 weeks in intensive care.
He had an MRI scan while in special care and this confirmed his severe brain injury. The doctors predicted severe cerebral palsy. They think he may not walk, speak , and have other life long difficulties. He had no suck or swallow when he was discharged after 3 weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit.
Since then he has learned to suckle at a bottle and has managed some feeds orally, but has now been found to be aspirating (inhaling) into his lungs. He is exclusively naso-gastric tube fed.
Samuel has shown so much fight to get where he is now, and we have found alternative therapies to help him have a life that we were told he might not have.
We are raising money to pay for his Anat Baniel Method therapist and chiropractic practitioner, private physiotherapy, as well as specialist sensory equipment. He has improved a lot since we started, but his treatment is costing £500 per month. We also want to find cutting edge treatments including stem cell therapy and hypobaric oxygen therapy.
Samuel is our super hero who fought back from the very edge, defying the odds over and over again. Please help him be the person we know he can be.
You can find updates in Facebook at Stories of Superstar Samuel, and on Twitter @SamuelBeepBeep.
