Meet Tyler — Perinatal Stroke

We are so happy to share Tyler’s story with you! Our family welcomed Tyler into this world on March 31st, 2011. He was born full-term after a very normal pregnancy, weighing 6 lbs. 12oz. and 19 inches long. He was scheduled to be delivered cesarean, however, he decided to come before the scheduled cesarean! When we arrived at the hospital, I was so far along in labor that the medical team thought we could try a regular delivery, which we did for many hours. Ultimately, that did not work.  Looking back, I wish we had not tried for a regular delivery and just started with cesarean as planned.  Tyler had so much bruising on his head, but they seemed to think it was normal. If I had known then what I know now, I would have asked more questions and maybe a second opinion at that time.

After his birth, Tyler’s Apgar scores were normal.  He seemed like a normal baby and was developing great. He was meeting milestones, he ate very well, and he sat up by himself. However, looking back, there were signs that something wasn’t quite right. He had trouble rolling over and he never crawled, but he scooted on his butt to get where he needed to. We never thought anything of it because he was a big baby and we’d heard other people say they knew kids that developed similarly. Tyler used his left hand mostly to play and eat (we didn’t know he shouldn’t have a hand preference at this age). Walking was a struggle, but, again, he was a large child, so we thought maybe it’s just harder for him. Finally, his pediatrician agreed and started monitoring him more closely: at 15 months, he could stand up and hold our hands to take a few steps, and at 18 months, he could walk, but not well.  Tyler would also ball his right fist up and curl his toes under on his right foot. At our 18 month appointment, his doctor did a longer evaluation and this is when we heard the shocking phrase:  “I believe he had a stroke in utero and has right-sided hemiparesis.” We were shocked. A stroke? He’s a baby! How did this happen? We had so many unanswered questions. Our pediatrician sent us to a Neurologist who  confirmed the diagnosis. An MRI was done to confirm the stroke and rule out the possibility of anything else going on in his brain.

Tyler began with weekly occupational and physical therapy in September 2013. He’s also seen by an orthopedic for a leg brace due to his gait abnormalities. His therapists have become family because they want the best for Tyler  as much as we do. We’ve done constraint therapy and Botox injections, both with great results. We make regular visits to neurologist for check ups and any concerns. When he turned 4, his neurologist did an EEG on Tyler to check for the possibility of seizures. The results came back that showed focal partial symptomatic epilepsy and epileptic syndromes with complex partial seizures, so Tyler started on anti-seizure medicine. Tyler handles everything in stride. He’s awesome and doesn’t mind any of his therapies, appointments, or the fact that he’s had to wear an AFO and SMO since he was 2.

Today, Tyler is a very smart and mature 4 year-old. Although doctors said that his stroke should have affected his speech, he has an advanced vocabulary. Tyler attends preschool and does his best everyday. He continues to struggle with writing, fine motor skills, and steps. He may not run as fast or as well as a lot of kids, but he can and that’s a blessing. He is a very determined, strong-minded child, which is what we believe has helped him the most: he never gives up!!  We feel very blessed to be his parents and he has taught us more than we ever thought was possible.

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