MAY 2009
It has been about two years since our family was blessed with receiving the wonderful Shannon Daley Memorial Fund Charity. The charity has helped us through those two years incredibly, as every year we max out our in and out-of-network benefits through insurance due to Timothy's medical interventions.
Since the trach, Timothy has improved greatly. He has gained weight and is coping much better with the everyday illnesses that occur in a child his age. Tim is on his own growth chart, but is growing in height as well. Even though the trach hospitalization was 9 weeks in total, it was well worth the time spent in the hospital.
The charity has helped Tim receive a prosthetic eye created by an incredible ocularist in Philadelphia. This was after numerous ophthalmological surgeries to help Tim's eye socket hold a prosthetic eye. Tim has also been able to receive great orthotics that enable him to cope with his spinal and foot abnormalities. Tim is walking and running and the only thing that holds him back is his heart.
Tim's cardiac surgery has been delayed from summer 2009. This is so that he can continue to get stronger and so that the doctors can come together to decide when to order the cardiac, spinal, and jaw surgeries. Mike and I are also trying to decide if Timothy should have a surgery on his finger with a great hand orthopedic doctor at CHOP.
We are so grateful that the charity has helped Timothy with all of these issues. We continue to follow the charity and love to see the various families that benefit from it. Tim is also learning to speak through a leak in his trach, and he says thank you very clearly and with a big smile. We are so happy to have become a part of the Shannon Daley Memorial family.
