Meet Cash — Stroke at age 7 months

It may have been 9 years ago, but it still seems like yesterday. In December 2006, my healthy 7 month old had a stroke.  There were no complications with the pregnancy or delivery, and before the stroke, he was developing as a normal infant.

On December 21, 2006, the diagnosis day, he had been sick. I remember calling his pediatrician because it looked like Cash had a stroke. Only one side of his face went up when he smiled and he would reach across his body with his left hand to get a toy that he could easily get with his right.  Their reply: “babies don’t have strokes.” They sent us to the ER for a CT scan and throughout the process, they reiterated that babies don’t have strokes. The scan confirmed it: my baby had a stroke.  He was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease after being transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago.   He spent his first Christmas and New Year in the  PICU.  The next 3 years consisted of bilateral brain surgery at 8 months old,  some form of therapy 4 days a week, and several sedated MRI/MRAs.

Fast forward to today: he is in a typical 4th grade class and is a typical 9-year-old with right sided hemiplegia.  He faces problems with fine and gross motor functions in his right hand and arm, has been diagnosed with ADHD, and has trouble in school because of the part of his brain that was affected by his stroke, namely with executive function.

Our journey has been hard, but with God’s blessing, he is still with us. Everyday brings new challenges and he will have to deal with many of the effects of the stroke for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, he was also recently diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, so not only does he have one rare disease, but now two.  It will be a lifelong struggle for my little man,  but he has proven to be a fighter,  and I thank God everyday for giving him to his dad and me.