Rye Syndrome
My name is Charles Campbell I am 34 years old. I was diagnosed with Rye Syndrome in 1985 at Riverview Regional Hospital. I stayed in the Emergency room for nine hours. I was 12 years old. In 1985 I was transferred to Children’s Hospital. My mother told me it was very cold that day. The wind was blowing hard; the ambulance could hardly stay on the road. She also said that was the longest ride she had ever been on, from Gadsden, AL to Birmingham, AL. I got to Children’s Hospital and they paralyzed me for eight days in the I.C.U. The doctors had me hooked up to all different types of machines. On a Wednesday of 1985 the space ships blew up, on that day my mother said I almost died that day. The last day that I was paralyzed the doctors told the nurses to make me comfortable and take the machines off of me as I asked. I had everything off except the respirator or ventilator, when I asked the nurse to remove it she pulled it out and my throat started to swell together. The nurses shoved it back down my throat causing scar tissue to be around my vocal cards. I went home for one week and had to return to the hospital. They treated me for Leukemia for one week. During this time my grandmother was very sick and she passed away. My aunt Sylvia Hollaway stayed with me while my mother and father went to her funeral. While they were on their way home I had a trauma situation. My aunt Sylvia called my aunt Lilas’ house so the doctors could get permission over the phone to put a trach in so I could breath. After we got home I had to take up home school. I was in the 7th grade. I was home schooled from 7th grade to the end of my 11th grade year. I wanted to go back to school for my senior year so I could walk with my senior class. During my senior year I began to date. I went to my senior prom with Amy Thompson I also went to work for McNutt tire. I went on to graduate at Emma Sanson High School in 1991. I graduated 7th in my class. I married my High School sweet heart Amy Thompson. My dad passed away the next year. My wife and I waited four years before we had any children. In 1995 we had a wonderful baby boy we named Charles Ray Campbell III (Trey Campbell). During all the time I went to Osborne Transportation to go to work I have been there since 1992. I go fishing, camping, swimming, hunting, and travel all we can. The Children’s Hospital is a very caring Hospital. If anyone thinks they have got a problem they need to take a trip to Children’s Hospital and they will thank God for the problem they have.
