Allie's Story   — Misty Dennis, Canadian, TX, USA

Allie was 10 days old and ate at 9:30 a.m. and had a good healthy burp. I didn't know that would be the last burp for about three weeks.............. At about 12:30 I told my husband, "Something is wrong with this baby," and when he asked, "Why do you think that?" I told him that she wouldn't latch on!! At 3:30 my sister, a nurse who is in town visiting, checked all her signs, and she showed no signs of dehydration (her fontenel was not sunk in because of the swollen brain.) She was having diapers (she had diarrhea) although strangely enough, no fever!! I called her Pediatrician, and they told me if I felt that I needed to come from over 97 miles away, then to do so. By this time I was so engorged that I did something that I said I would never do. I pumped. By 8:30 I knew that my mother instinct was saying get to a doctor. My husband and I took her. I sat in the back seat with her next to me in her car seat. I held her little fingers the whole way and I would move them just to reassure myself that she was alive. She had not cried for hours, just lifeless!! I have an older daughter that is six years older and I knew that I could never look at her and tell her that her sister had died!! We had her for ten full wonderful days, we had all fallen in love with her, and she had found a place in all of our hearts!! When we got to the E.R. I changed her diaper in the car not knowing the severity of her situation. I just knew that I didn't want her to be poopy in front of her doctor. When we were through we walked in the doors and they asked if she was Doctor Habersang's baby and I said, "Yes." They said, "Mom, come sign papers, and Dad come with me!! " I could not even focus. All I wanted was my baby. They were asking pointless insurance questions and a baby was crying in the same room. I was drenched all down the front of my shirt. I had leaked everywhere. The lady told me to just sign, and she took me to where she thought that Chris and Allie were. The nurses were just blank. They all stood back from her and just stared. They didn't know what to do. In came Dr. Habersang and he forcefully said, "Get this baby upstairs." I asked if I could carry her. I thought by the reaction of the E.R. that it might be my last time. I walked quickly, and Habersang looked back at me and said, "RUN!!" I thought to myself, 'I am in a dream and I want to wake up! I did everything I was supposed to. What is wrong??? " I couldn't imagine what in the world could have made my life come to this!! When we got upstairs, they were ready for us. I laid her down on the bed and they couldn't find a vein because of her dehydration. At this point we were just so desperate to find out what was wrong. They got her stable, and Dr. Habersang immediately (without results--thank you, Jesus) started I.V. fluids. All through the night they came in and checked her vitals, and every once in a while she would tense up or moan and her eyes would just look so distant, and then tense up. I didn't know it then, but I soon figured out that she was having seizures!! And in that time I found out later that she had a stroke on her left occipital lobe. I have never been in the hospital, my family has never been in the hospital, and I didn't know that the nurses want you to bother them!! I have always been a fixer and didn't want to bother anyone! (I now, however, know the game, and they know I will ask anything!!) At about 5:00am Habersang took a spinal tap. I didn't really know what that was. I just knew that it was a serious deal!!! About 45 minutes after the spinal tap, Chris and I were moving her at anything though to get her to breathe. The nurse came in, and we told her to be sure and move her. She was not really breathing well, and after that all I knew was I turned around and there was an entire nursing staff in this little tiny room, and Dr. H had a scalpel (for the central line) and the team was to put her on a ventilator. I looked at Chris and went crazy!! I had to leave the room!! After 9 days of being on the vent, and numerous amounts of meds, battling septic shock, and overcoming death, my daughter, my hero, survived group B strep that turned into spinal meningitis, which led to a stroke, which led to seizures, and now she was going to live and the only thing they thought was she might be blind in her right eye. We were so happy. Two weeks after we got home, Allie just really started looking distorted. We couldn't figure out why her head was getting bigger and bigger so we then met Dr. Errington, a neurosurgeon. Allie's filteration system was clogged with scar tissue, and so therefore she needed a shunt. Today Allie has undergone 5 surgeries, and 4 shunt revisions. We just can't seem to get it right with her!! Dr. Errington is wonderful and, bless his heart, he has not given up on Allie!! He is so awesome with us and my daughter and has a really calm aura about him!! Today, January 30, Allie is trying heal up her latest surgery from January 26th. We only pray that she will not have to undergo this pain anymore, but are even more grateful and glad that she is alive and kissable!! Thank you for reading our story!!