Please Help For Nicky's Future ( Nicky's Fund )

Meeting the new member of the family

Thank God my husband was there with Nicholas because I could not be. I didn't meet my son until two days later, when I was allowed to go to the NICU. Once I was down there, I put my purse and jacket int eh coat room, scrubbed up, and then I was called into an oval room where there were about fifteen doctors from different practices. Next, I was given a chair, and everyone introduced himself or herself to me. While I sat ther scared to death, I was told that we were going to have a meeting about Nicholas.

First they told me what a beautiful baby he was. Perhaps they were trying to sooth my anxiety which was soaring. Then they started telling me what happened during his birth and their findings when they examined him. Of course they were speaking in medical terms, so I said, "Stop! Do you mind translating that into English ... please!" Nicholas had a stroke which caused him brain damage in the left hemisphere. "Due to all the hours that you had pushed during labor, fluids accumulated to swell up in his brain," the NICU pediatrician, Dr. Esteban, told me.

First, I started screaming, "No, this isn't happening. Please don't tell me anymore!" I was definitely not emotionally ready to hear what they were telling me, and then I fainted and was taken back to my room. The next day I went to see Nicholas. I remembered that I had forgotten my purse and jacket in the coatroom, so I went to get them quickly so I could rush to Nicholas ... everything was gone! My purse was stolen and never recovered. That, of course, had added to my anxiety, but at that point, I just wanted my baby boy. He had IV's , and oxygen mask, and tubes hooked up to him. It reminded me of someone on life support. My heart felt as though it would beat right out of my chest.

I wanted to nurse him. As I started to nurse him, a resident, Dr. Goldstien, said that it is probably not going to happen, but as he said that, Nicholas started to nurse perfectly. It was the first time I laughed in days. Then I realized that there was hope for Nicholas in his future. But as a result of Nicholas's birth injuries, the fact remained that he had a rough road ahead of him.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and Nicholas seemed to be much delayed. My husband and I brought him to his pediatrician, Dr. William Turtle, a sweet man, short, with reddish-brown hair, and a soothing smile. He diagnosed Nicholas with Cerebral palsy and Developmental Delay. Dr. Turtle recommended and referred me to a program called Early Intervention. This program took place right at the very school that I wanted Nicholas to attend, Meeting Street School in East Providence, RI. They offered everything Nicholas needed and more ... medical equipment, therapies, and emotional support for our whole family. He needed speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Every week, around my family's schedule, he received these services. At three he was accepted into one of the best schools in New England for handicapped children, Meeting Street School. Today he is crawling, walking on his own ( very few steps ) but well with a walker, and he can speak sign language fluently. I think that every state should have a school like Meeting Street.