Welcome Friends!
Austin S.
Ohio
Biography
Austin was born on June 8th, 2001. He was a happy, smiley baby! We
first noticed something was "off" with him at age 4 months. When the
pediatrician suggested we attempt rice cereal, Austin could not take in the
food. Thinking it was simply that he hadn't lost his thrust reflex just yet,
she instructed us to try again in 2 months. We did that to mixed results. He
continued to have problems with eating and would choke or spit up his food even
into toddlerhood. By the time he was 14 months old, he could say about five
words. However, his vocabulary didn't grow much, and by 24 months, he had lost
all his speech. He was diagnosed with moderate to severe Autism at age 3.
In February, 2007, his school aide called me in the middle of the day. She was
quite alarmed. Austin had lost all color from his face. He was
hyperventilating and his heart was racing. I took him to the pediatrician
immediately. He was sent to the emergency room, but we were dismissed due to
Austin being extremely upset and crying. Then, he began to fall into a deep
sleep at random times during the day. It was very hard to rouse him. He was
diagnosed with seizures in June of that year. Throughout the summer, Austin
began losing weight and regressing in skills (eg., he could no longer use a
spoon or a fork anymore). His neurologist sent us to a geneticist who began
testing for a mitochondrial disorder. Austin's blood tests showed some telltale
markers of mito, and more testing was done to see if his particular type could
be pinpointed.
As of yet, the docs have still to determine what kind of mitochondrial disease
affects Austin, because so many of them haven't been defined yet. Austin's
mitochondrial specialist told us he likely has "Mitochondrial Autism," and that
he is certain that Austin's mito and Autism are connected. Austin continues to
have mito flares in which he is overly fatigued and benefits from the use of a
wheelchair.
In May of 2010, Austin was suffering from severe pain. The pediatrician
diagnosed him with synovitis of the hip, which can last for a few months and is
quite painful. When he showed signs of morning stiffness, pain and swelling of
some joints, he was referred to rheumatology. In March, 2011, he was diagnosed
with Juvenille Rheumatoid Arthritis.
When you sign up to stitch for Love Quilts you will get a confirmation of your sign up. If your pattern is a duplicate you will be asked to pick another pattern.
We encourage you to join the LoveQuiltsUSA Yahoo group to check the pattern listing for duplications yourself before you sign up.
The lists of patterns already being stitched are posted on the database. LoveQuiltsUSA is an open group so you can sign up easily and view the patterns right away. Please follow this link to sign into the Love Quilts Yahoo Group...
Once there click on the link "database" on the right to view the children and their patterns. Once you find a pattern that you want to stitch and have confirmed it is not already being stitched you may return to the sign up form, fill it in and submit it. If you have any questions about the yahoo group please email Cyberfogie@aol.com, Vicki, for further instructions (yahoo groups email only!) Thanks!
Birth Date - June 08, 2001
Main Diagnosis - Mitochondrial Disorder
Quilt Deadline: 10/15/2012
THEME: Religious/music (catholic) - fav color yellow
