Ashley

Brain Hemorrhage; Fungal Infection

Ashley was born at 27 weeks gestation. She weighed 2 lbs.10 oz. and was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. She suffered from a grade Four Brain Hemorrhage and a serious fungal infection that was in her blood, urine, and cerebral fluid. Ashley was diagnosed with having cerebral palsy and required a shunt in her brain. Dr Jerry Oakes has been her neurosurgeon since she was born and performed all her shunt revisions. Dr. Conklin has been another provider for surgery and braces for her legs. Ashley has constantly had a smile on her face since she was born. She has left the walker behind and now walks with one fore arm crutch. She is a seventh grader at Ashford Jr. High School. Socializing is her favorite subject. She is an avid deer hunter and is very active in Girl Scouts and youth activities at church. We are constantly reminded of what a blessing she is. The doctors are wonderful, but where would they be without their nurses and other staff? Whether it is the person on the phone helping us get all of our appointments on one day, which is no easy task. Some one at the clinic desk reminding us to get our parking voucher stamped. The NICU nurse who told us 13 years ago "treat her no different than any other child" and we didn't. The staff at Children’s has always been top notch. They realized long ago that the children are not their only patients, the families are also. We have always been treated with respect and genuine concern