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PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
Diagnosed at 8,
fulminant
meningococcal meningitis
Each September, as steamy nights begin
to cool and the adventure of a new school year begins, Wendy and
Jody can’t help but feel both painful and triumphant memories. It’s
hard not to remember that September when their
young daughter, Leslie, fought the battle of her life to survive a
critical illness.
"Never in my wildest imagination did I
think I would be speeding toward the Texas Medical Center at 3:30
a.m., following a helicopter that held my child, who was dying,"
says Wendy, recalling the fateful morning her 8-year-old was
diagnosed with fulminant meningococcal meningitis. "Aside from a
common cold, Leslie really had never been sick."
Leslie was admitted to Texas Children’s
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where she was deemed eligible
for an experimental drug study. The highly skilled medical team knew
their young patient was in a fight for her life against a bacterial
disease that causes inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain
and spinal cord.
"The doctors said if Leslie survived
she could lose both hands and feet," Wendy says. "We just wanted her
to live; we could work with the prosthetics. They explained
everything to us in great detail and told us we could be with her at
all times."
Without delay, Leslie’s aggressive
treatment was started. She was placed on a ventilator and continuous
dialysis machine and was connected to four intravenous feeding
lines.
"Everyone was very proactive, always
anticipating the next step," Wendy recalls. "She got such great
attention, with two nurses around the clock."
From the outset, the couple felt in the
loop and part of the team.
"What sets Texas Children’s apart is
its ability to take care of the parents, as well as the children,"
Jody explains.
"The doctors did an incredible job and
were friendly, not elusive," Wendy adds. "People from every service
were very easy to talk to and did not mind us looking over their
shoulders."
After a month in the PICU, Leslie was
moved to the Progressive Care Unit (PCU), where the road to recovery
became even shorter. The PCU is often referred to as a "swing" unit
because it serves as a bridge between PICU and the regular hospital.
In two weeks, Leslie graduated to a regular floor, where she spent
two more weeks before going home. Then, she visited Texas Children’s
three times a week for dialysis treatments until December, when
doctors determined her kidneys were working once again.
Yet, the recuperation process was far
from over. Leslie was too exhausted to resume the active schedule
she enjoyed prior to the illness. A child who once loved to dance
ballet and jazz now struggled to hold a pencil.
"Her body was weak, but her mind was
fine," Wendy says. "Through a special homebound program coordinated
by our school district and Texas Children’s, Leslie was able to pass
to fourth grade with her friends. Even though she was unable to be
at school during most of third grade, she was able to maintain her
above-level classes in English and math."
Today, following physical therapy,
Leslie is healthy and relishes bike riding, in-line
skating, swimming and dancing. She started English-saddle
riding and ice-skating lessons.
"Aside from a few scars caused by the
rash, she’s back 100 percent," Wendy says. "She didn’t lose any
limbs, only a small portion of her thumb. Even though dialysis
patients normally don’t grow, she’s grown major inches. The illness
was truly just a ‘skip’ in her life."
 
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