Hannah's Updates

03-07-06 So sorry it has been some time since our last update. We were having problems accessing our web host and as i'm sure you all realize, we are extremely busy and it is difficult to spend a lot of time online. Not much has changed in Hannah's condition. She is still non-vocal, fed by g-tube, and quadriplegic. She can answer yes or no with her eyes. She began middle school this fall. She still has the ability to learn and we feel like getting out everyday for school is good for her. The kids at her new school are wonderful and have been very welcoming. We had some challenges at the beginning of the year as there were some faculty members that felt like she didn't need to be at school, but we stood our ground and things are much better now. The Special Needs team at this school is wonderful, but I think it took one or two of the regular ed teachers time to get used to us. We tried handling it all as kindly as we could since we have to work within this school for the next 3 years. I know Hannah misses the Williams Elementary staff so much...."middle school" is a whole other ball game. I know she enjoys being around other children. Being stuck at home all day would be far too depressing and she needs stimulation. Speaking of home, we have been in an apartment for some time. We are hoping to find an affordable house in the near future. We need more room for Hannah's equiptment etc, a better shower situation for her, and would love to have a private back yard so we could have more outside time with her. We are also hoping that there will be some treatment at some point that can atleast help Hannah speak again. We have looked into stem cell therapy some, and we hope that as the research in this area progresses that it will offer some hope to children like Hannah. As we approach the "pre-teen" stages I wish more than anything that she could enjoy the same things other children her age are. This journey we are on is full of emotional struggles. The loss we feel cannot be put it into words and it is so hard to understand why Hannah was chosen to endure all that she must. Sometimes it's overwhelming, but we thank God each day because in spite of it all we have been very blessed. We have great friends and a strong support system. Taking care of Hannah is a priviledge and I know the Hannah we all knew and loved before is still in there. We believe she is still a miracle in progress.

03-06-05 School continues to go well. Hannah is now in more regular 5th grade classes. She was in some before, but we have added more to her schedule so she is spending less and less time with the the special needs class. She is still getting PT and OT. We are going to be adding some therapies that we have high hopes will improve Hannah's condition greatly. If you guys hear of any new research or therapies, please keep us informed. Thanks for the continued prayer. Love to ALL! Lisa ______________________________________________
11-15-04 Thanks to those of you who still come to the site to check on Hannah. There are some more recent pictures added from school. Hannah is doing well at school. She is getting more consistent with using her head switches that are attached to her wheelchair. The switches help her communicate when she turns her head and activates the switch, a recorded message will play. We have done some further hearing tests, and Hannah is still not hearing well. Apparently many children who have trachs, develop fluid behind the ear drums. Hopefully if we resolve the fluid problem, her ear drums will move more and her hearing will improve. She is getting stronger and her head and trunk control had improved greatly thanks to Julie Donahue O.T., and Kim Heller P.T. Her Nystamis in her eyes which cause her eyes to flutter constanly has also improved greatly. This credit goes to Dr. Julie Allen in Georgetown, Chiropractic Neurologist, who gave us exercises to do with Hannah to slow this problem down. I know Hannah can focus better now. I have to thank the nurses who followed thru with the exercises as well, especially Tammy Galdones. Yes, thankfully we still have some home health care nurses that help us out. We lost an awesome nurse who we will miss very much. His name is Earl Munson and he is deploying to serve our country with his National Guard Unit. Please pray for our troops and their safe return. Mr. Earl worked very hard with Hannah and was one of her strongest teachers and advocates. Tammy has moved into the primary nurse position and is working diligently toward Hannah's recovery as well. Hunter finished his football season undefeated. He is now taking golf lessons from my awesome boss Danny Tatum at Teravista Golf Club. (I started at Teravista at the beginning of October.) Hunter is a natural....I am so excited that he is enjoying himself so much. We have great Pros on staff if anyone else is looking to improve their game BTW :) I hope you are all doing well and that you have a great holiday season. Thanks for your continued prayer for our family. I also wanna thank Cheryl & O'Barr,/ Michele & Brian, for all you do for us...i am forever in awe of you guys! Also wanna thank James and Shannon for volunteering to read to Hannah some evenings so I am able to fold laundry and get my chores done. You are all great! -Lisa _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
08-30-04 Hannah started school! She seems to be tolerating her schedule very well. Hannah still has the ability to learn and we want to give her every opportunity to lead as normal of a life as possible. She has always loved school, and Williams Elementary has been wonderful to her and us. They are working very hard to accomodate her and outline an independent education program for her. She goes 3 hours per day. She sits in on some regular classes, attends art and music one day per week, then spends the remaining time at school working with the special needs team. They are mainly focusing on communication at school using assistive technology. Hannah is able to push with her arms, sometimes grip, and turn her head. Once we find the device that is easiest for her to work, it will be integrated with computer programs to help Hannah communicate. We can't brag on the school enough for all their efforts. Hannah has always been a hard worker and we believe she will benefit greatly from being back at school. Hunter is doing Karate and Football. He is busy, but is handling his schedule very well too. He is managing his sports and his school work great. These children make it very easy to be a proud parent.