Mackenzie

Dave and Tree, Parents of Mackenzie

 

Location: OH, USA  (soon to be Colorado)

E-Mail: angelbaby@mackenzieroecker.org

 

Website: www.mackenzieroecker.org

 

Age at time of accident: 4 years

 

Date of accident:  January 27, 2005

 

Where accident happened:  YMCA child care center in their pool

 

Therapies tried: 

• Physical Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Speech Therapy

• Music therapy 

• Feeding Therapy

• Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

• Therapeutic Horse Riding

• Conductive Education

Mackenzie's Story:

On January 27th, 2005 our youngest daughter was attending a preschool program at the Fairborn YMCA.  During a scheduled swim activity, she was found floating face-down in the water. 

Unfortunately, the life guard had been inattentive, and despite stated policy and Ohio law, there was nobody else watching the children in the pool.  No one can tell us what happened that day, or how long she was without air; however, as a result, she sustained significant brain-injury. 

We endured 10 days in Dayton Children’s Hospital ICU, a subsequent three month stay at the inpatient rehab ward at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and daily occupational, speech, and physical therapy ever since. 

Now nearly a year later, she is wheelchair bound and incapable of communication, play, or almost anything else.  She cannot express emotion, or give us a hug.  Needless to say, we are devastated by our loss.  We feel as though our  precious baby was killed on that fateful day and in her place we have been given a completely helpless and dependent individual that resembles our daughter but that requires a level of care and attention that we are only beginning to understand.

Mackenzie suffers from ‘nearly continuous epileptic-form discharges’ (brain seizures) due to the traumatic brain injury she received.  Her neurologist is adjusting her medications to alleviate the seizures.  The neurologist is confident that once these seizures are under control, Mackenzie will be able to relearn everything.  We are hoping that this is true!

Three months following the incident, Mackenzie was given an Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube.  Although she still has the feeding tube, on a good day she will take half or more of her calories by mouth.

Update April 2007:

The past two years have been the most difficult of our lives.  Mackenzie still does not consistently communicate with us.  Occasionally she will make choices by hitting her selection with a hand.  She makes verbal noises, but as of yet, no words.

Sometimes she will smile and sometimes she will laugh.  She has become less interested in eating food and shows little to no interest in toys or games.  Mackenzie has excellent range of motion.  She is able to stand with support and can take steps (when she feels like it).  She has full use of her arms when it comes to putting her fingers in her mouth or rubbing her eyes and nose.  However, she will not bear weight through her arms, making it difficult to sit without support.

 As far as improvements that we have seen, Mackenzie is much more vocal and aware of her surroundings.  She is visually attentive and loves to watch other children.  All of her therapists have noted improvements in her awareness, especially after attending the HBOT and Conductive Education camp.  She also shows us much more of the stubbornness, independence, and determination that she has had since birth.

 Currently we are experimenting with the seizure medications to find the best one for her condition.  We are hoping that someday we can eliminate the medications altogether.

 In a few months, we will be relocating to Colorado where we hope the change in medical personnel will provide a fresh new perspective with regards to a more beneficial treatment program.