50Wyatt`s Story

Wyatt is a caring young man, an active guy in sports: hockey, soccer, baseball, and swimming. A chatty boy with a story to tell and a joke to start a conversation A nice easy going kid with an ever present smile and a kind word for everyone, willing to help with just about anything but the kitty litter: A normal bright kid.

Three years ago Wyatt (now 15yrs old) was very clumsy and fell a lot, the doctor associated it with growing and we didn't really give it a second thought. In the fall of 2011 Wyatt developed a limp on his right side. The limp at first was only happening at school, by Christmas it was happening at home as well. He started to forget kid's names that he had met in the new school year, he started to forget the jokes he told people to start conversations. Wyatt's sleep patterns were also changing, he wanted more and more naps in the middle of the day, and was falling asleep at his desk at school. It was getting increasingly harder to wake him up from those naps. The doctors put it together as depression.

In May 2012 he went for the MRI and EEG. The results of the MRI - my son who has played & refereed hockey, roller blades, bikes, swims like a fish, couldn't get him off the monkey bars when he was little, and met all his development land marks has Cerebral Palsy. I didn't believe it.

Going into June 2012 Wyatt continued to fall lots and his limp was getting bad. On June 14th Wyatt fell 4 times. It wasn't a normal fall, he appeared to be passing out for seconds. After the fourth fall I took him to the Stollery Childrens Hospital. The emergency room doctor agreed with me that this couldn't possibly be CP. The ER doctor called the on-call neurologist, he was seen by the neurologist and admitted immediately. Wyatt was in the Stollery for 5 weeks, and was then transferred to the Glenrose Rehab Hospital. He was there for just over 4 months.

Wyatt's team of doctors sent his file to several locations for consults: Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta, Houston, Calgary, Vancouver, San Francisco and even to Europe. They have done every possible test on him, everything comes back normal. They have collected spinal fluid 3 times and blood samples which were sent out to Houston, Atlanta's CDC and Boston for testing. He is no longer able to walk on his own. He has "drop attacks" "“ he blacks out for seconds if not for split seconds. These attacks can be six times a day or none at all, there are no indications that they are coming on. He can have one or one after another. He has minor brain damage but no trauma. He is unable to use his right hand properly. He has lost short term memory and has lost some cognitive abilities. He is unable to talk clearly. He is in a wheel chair. He was sleeping 20 hours a day and hard to keep awake the other 4 hours.

In January 2013 he was again in the Stollery, this time for 2 weeks. His team of doctors started a drug protocol to try to control his symptoms, for awhile it was working. He was talking clearer, the drop attacks are not as often, and he can stay awake during the day, which enables him to go to school in the afternoons. They are slowly increasing the drugs to get the optimum desired results.

The doctors were continuing their testing to try to figure out this strange illness. What the doctors were saying about his illness is that "Wyatt is writing his own story, we just have to wait and see what happens next."

May & June 2013 another MRI is completed to compare with test results from last year. My child has a brain tumor, about the size of a grape, which did not show up in any prior tests and scans. The doctors schedule a biopsy to see what they are dealing with. But the tumour has it's own plans. Four days before the biopsy sitting on the chesterfield watching television Wyatt starts to get a fever, within minutes his fever is 41C (105F), 911 is called and an ambulance ride with full lights & sounds to rush him to hospital, heart rate 240, breathing laboured... Wyatt is having a "metabolic storm". Doctors are unsure that he will make it and tells us to prepare for the worst. He spends the next 7 days in P-ICU. He remains in hospital to date, his condition slowly stabilizing.

July 2013 on the Canada Day long weekend the doctors open up a medical treatment centre, call in staff and did 3 life saving radiation treatments in hopes that the tumor will shrink and not produce another storm. It shrunk. So far so good, no more storms, however mild fevers keep showing up. A treatment plan has been made for Wyatt. 27 more radiation treatments, no chemo as he isn't stable enough. Recovery - we are hopeful that he will recover some abilities, but he will never be the same.

It has been a two year battle to find out Wyatts medical mystery. Wyatt will need more tests, treatments, therapy and equipment. We have been surviving financially for over two years however with time off for appointments & hospital stays, added expenses of equipment, minor home improvements to help get him around, medical supplies, and all the future requirements of his condition, we can no longer do this on our own and we are seeking help. We consider ourselves very proud people, and this is very humbling but if you can help us out our gratitude can not be expressed in words and our thanks will be forever. If you can't help us out say a prayer for our son and our gratitude will be forever.

Thank you for taking time to read our son's, our family's story.

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