Chasin A Dream Foundation

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Brooklyn S.

Brooklyn B. is our 15 year old Warrior. Brooklyn was born with no complications and and had a normal first year of life. At 1 things started to look different and Brooklyn began having seizures and OK. Eventually she was diagnosed Developmentally Delayed, PVL, and Hypotonic. As the years went on, we were seen by plenty of doctors and therapists to help with Brooklyn's quality of life.

As the years went on Brooklyn was diagnosed with scoliosis, and it began to progress. Brooklyn began becoming hospitalized due to pneumonia. The recovery time became longer and longer, and so did the hospital stays. In 2020 Brooklyn had a very aggressive pneumonia and we discovered that her lung was being crushed by the scoliosis. Brooklyn had the 8 hour spine surgery and had to be hospitalized for some time to recover.

While Brooklyn’s spine was straight there was still a lot of therapeutic recovery that needed to take place. Brooklyn had been hospitalized in 2021 with another pneumonia but recovered well. This year was our biggest battle yet. Brooklyn was hit with pneumonia twice and a bacteria infection in her central line. Brooklyn had to be intubated on a ventilator for a total of 16 days. Doctors discussed wanting to give Brooklyn a tracheotomy, but our Warrior princess was fighting for her life. We were hospitalized for 2 1/2 months and by the end of the summer Brooklyn had made full recovery.

We were finally able to go home!! Brooklyn has been recovery beautifully and is on room air no oxygen. While we still have a way to go, Brooklyn has proven time and time again that she is a fighter, a Warrior and she won't stop fighting. Brooklyn is able to start going back to school for a couple days a week, and she is enjoying getting back to normalcy. We are excited to be able to now have the Respiratory therapy, PT, OT, Speech to help Brooklyn along the way and her seizures have significantly decreased over the months and she hardly is having them.

Update January 2024:

In February of 2023 Brooklyn became very ill with a respiratory infection that caused her to be intubated and placed in PICU. Brooklyn fought for her little life during this time but had an emergency Tracheostomy in order to preserve her life in May 2023. Brooklyn now has a new way of life management. She is supported by a ventilator only at night and uses her HME to assist while on room air during the day. Brooklyn continues to attend school, loves SpongeBob, her dolls and being read to by mom.