Dedications
Many of the legal guardians of these children are single parents. The average cost of taking care of an abused child is $1 million dollars over the course of their life. Fifty percent of Americans do not have health insurance. If you would like to donate money to help any of these children profiled below with their medical bills, 100% of all of your donations will go directly to the child you choose. Email us at: email@ChildrenWithoutAVoiceUSA.org.
This Dedication Page is in honor of those children who have survived abuse and are living a life filled with many physical and mental challenges. They are children who are shunned by many, forgotten about, but are courageous and loving children filled with life and beauty.
Seth
Hello, my name is Seth. On July 13, 1999, I was born a healthy seven and a half pound bundle of energy, and very handsome, I might add.
From the very beginning I was in trouble. I don’t know why but my parents didn’t take very good care of me. They hurt me. On September 29, 1999, I was taken to the hospital because I wouldn’t eat and I wouldn’t stop crying. My pediatrician said that I had four fractured ribs and needed to spend the night in the hospital. I thought, maybe someone will help me, maybe someone will stop all my pain. Nobody helped me. They gave me back to my parents and I went home. I hurt so much.
On October 5, 1999, my dad began to shake me very, very hard. He grabbed my leg and it broke, he squeezed my ribs and six more broke, he threw me on the floor and my head broke. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t cry and I hurt so very much. Later on, my mom came home from work and called an ambulance. The very nice rescue people took me to the hospital, I was very sick. The doctor said that my brain was bleeding and swelling and that I might die so they took me to a special hospital. My head hurt so much and I kept shaking, the doctor said I was having seizures because there was so much blood pressing on my brain. He said that I had been abused, that I had Shaken Baby Syndrome and that if I lived, I would not be perfect anymore, I would have brain damage.
The next day, a new mommy came to take care of me. She didn’t hurt me, she cried every time I cried and she promised to take care of me. After weeks in the hospital, I went home with my new mommy and daddy.
It was hard for me to do things for myself because my right side was paralyzed and I had lots of seizures. I couldn’t swallow solid food but mommy made special bottles for me that helped me gain weight and get healthy. In fact, I got down right fat. Mommy and Daddy worked hard to teach me to roll over, to sit up and to crawl. It took a long time but we had lots of fun. Lots of doctors, therapist and teachers helped me, too.
When I was two, I could finally swallow food and boy did I go nuts. I ate everything but spaghetti was my favorite. I wanted it all the time but mommy said that I had to try other foods, I did and I love it all, even broccoli.
I am now 11 years old and I am in the second grade. School is very hard for me. I don’t learn like other kids and I get very frustrated but my mommy helps me so much. I love my mommy. I still have seizures but I have a device implanted in my chest to control them and it works great but it does make my voice sound funny sometimes. Because I was shaken so hard, I have a lot of problems, they are called disabilities. I have Cerebral Palsy, brain damage, seizures, behavioral problems, speech and language delays, learning disabilities and autism.
Please listen to me, I know what I am talking about…NEVER, NEVER SHAKE A BABY.
UPDATE TO SETH’S STORY:
Late February 2011
From the founder of CWAV:
Seth’s family stayed in an RV in a campground for 5 months while Seth was undergoing an impatient neuro bio feedback program to reduce his recent increased seizures and violent aggression. Prior to entering this program, Seth’s IQ had rapidly declined to 53 from 78. The family needed to be close to him while in treatment and only got to see him once a week for a few hours. While they were at the campground in their RV, they experienced significant hail and storm damage among other set backs. Seth’s adopted mother home schooled Seth’s two siblings, also survivors of extreme child abuse during this time. Here is her update on Seth’s story:
I can't begin to thank all of you for your prayers and support on behalf of Seth during our stay in Georgia.
In September Seth was admitted to Youth Villages, Inner Harbor in Douglasville, Georgia, for treatment related to the brain injury he received as an infant from being shaken at 10 weeks.
In 2010, and prior to Seth’s admission to Youth Villages, he began suffering very prolong and violent seizures that caused further brain damage. Neuropsychological testing showed that he had lost 25 I.Q. points putting him at 53 indicating Mental Retardation. His behavior continued to regress, the violence toward me and his sisters increasing to the extent that he was Baker Acted in to a mental facility twice in 2 months.
At this point Seth's psychologist began looking for a place that could meet his special needs and provide treatment that would improve the quality of life that he deserved. He found two, one in Austin, Texas and the other,Youth Villages in Douglasville, GA. We were so estatic that there was a facility willing to take him for treatment. The facility cost $30,000 a month.
The treatment Seth received was tailored to his needs, he was retested, diagnosed, and a program was designed for him. He received what they call Brain Gym, this is where they used Neurofeedback to decrease the electric activity in the damaged part of his brain and strengthen the electrical activity in the healthy part of his brain. He received intensive psychological therapy which included Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), horse therapy, drum therapy, and taught coping skills to control his impulsiveness and anger. Youth Villages used therapies that treated Seth as a whole person.
We have now been home for two weeks and Seth is still doing very well. We are continuing with DBT, CBT and Neurofeedback with his psychologist to help him to continue to grow in his ability to control his aggressive behavior.
However, after receiving his brain test results from his local doctor here in Florida we were told that If Seth has prolong, violent seizures again that there is the chance he will not survive. Seth has a VNS implanted in his chest to help manage his seizures. So in attempt to keep Seth alive, his VNS device battery is being replaced and the voltage adjusted to cycle more often to interrupt any seizure activity. His seizure medications have also been increased and we are trusting in God to keep our little boy alive.
As I write this update, it makes me more determined to fight against child abuse in all forms but especially Shaken Baby Syndrome, which has been proven to be one of the earliest forms of physical abuse to a child.. These children were given the miracle of life and it was stolen from an adult who lost control and didn’t know the consequences. 100% preventable. America suffers from a silent epidemic and that is, compassionate adults who are caring enough to report suspicious neglect. It is up to the police to investigate. It is up to all Americans to know the signs of abuse and report it. Children are our future. Nothing else is as important
Thank you all, you are my heroes, those of you who give your time and energy to Children Without A Voice, using your voices to speak for Seth and all the other survivors of abuse.
(From the founder of CWAV, Seth’s mother is the true hero here and Seth and his siblings continue to be a voice for children in America.)
Madison Walker, forever 6 weeks old
Madison was born a healthy baby on December 16, 2000. In February 2001, things changed drastically for her. She was eight weeks old. Her mother (my daughter) was away at work and her father and his family were home with Madison. Her mother got a funny feeling at work, and decided to act on it, and left early to go home and check on Maddie. When she walked into the house she was told that Madison’s father and paternal grandparents had taken Madison to the hospital because she would not wake up from her nap. Madison was quickly air lifted to San Diego Children’s Hospital, where she remained on life support for three weeks. At this time, her father and paternal grandparents said they did not know what happened to her; she just “would not wake up”. Further testing showed Madison had a subdural hematoma, and retinal hemorrhages. We were told that the retinal hemorrhages only happened from severe trauma to the head, and that Madison had been shaken. The doctors told us that the damage to Madison’s brain was as if she had been dropped off of a third story building, and landed on her head. They said that if she did survive, she would have severe brain damage. Against all odds, Maddie made it through this ordeal. Madison is now nine. She is mentally six weeks old, and will remain that way till she dies. She is fed with a G-Tube, and is suctioned regularly because she can’t swallow on her own. She can’t talk, walk, roll over on her own or eat fun foods that children enjoy. Madison has cerebral palsy, and is legally blind as well. She can only communicate with those of us who know her breathing patterns. This year she had a titanium rod put in her back because without this major surgery, her spine would have crushed her lungs. She was cut open from her neck to her bottom for the surgery. For nine months, Maddie had to wear a brace that reached from just under her armpits to just above her thighs for almost 24 hours a day. Understandably, this took time away from Madison’s favorite part of the day: cuddle time and hugs. She wears braces on her feet and hands to keep her muscles loose. Madison cannot have a bowel movement on her own. She requires assistance with this every night. Both of her hips are dislocated due to not being able to bear weight.
Despite Madison’s disabilities, she is a happy child. The one thing that she can do is smile. She loves listening to her younger cousins talk, and enjoys listening to cartoons, and children’s music. She loves the sounds of motorcycles, off road trucks, and dripping water. She finds happiness in simple things. Maddie will never walk, talk, or play with her many cousins. She will never be able to put her arms around us to hug, so we do it for her. She cannot tell us how much she loves us, so we tell her all of the time how much we love her. While out in the public, people will ask “ What is wrong with her?” We always take the opportunity to say, “ Let me tell you how it happened to her first”. Madison is a testimony in herself.
Although we are fortunate to have medical insurance for Madison, not everything is covered. Wheelchairs alone are in the thousands. My husband and I were looking at retirement when this happened. When we made the choice to adopt Maddie, we made the choice to never retire. We would make the choice; just the same even now but had no idea the expense involved. I would imagine it is in the 6 digits a year, if you consider her medical treatment, and nursing so I can work, and provide medical insurance for my husband and myself as well. I know when she was first injured; her stay in the ICU for 4 weeks was over 750,000.000.
Madison’s biological father spent 2 years in a protected area of prison, while she will spend her entire life in the prison of a body, that will never work. There is no justice for this tragedy. No amount of money, No amount of pain inflicted on her father that would make this any better. With that said, we all go on, try to spread the word about Shaken Baby Syndrome, and focus on the fact, that Maddie has a special place in heaven, where she will be free of her prison.
Thank you for the opportunity to share her story.
The Walkers
Breanna, age 3
Breanna is a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome and a hard blow to her head by her biological father on March 22, 2006. The doctors said she would be a vegetable and for 3 days they asked her Mom to take her off life support. Her Mom would not and she remained in the St. Louis Children's hospital for two months. The doctors said that her injuries were more severe than being in a car accident and the worst case they have ever seen. She was 16 months old when she suffered her injuries and spent almost an entire year of 2006 in the hospital and rehabilitation then another five months in the Raken Jordan rehabilitation center. Breanna has suffered a lot of injuries causing her to loose the left side of her brain. She has had a shunt, a bone flap removal and several more surgeries. She got her trach out in July 2007 and has made it through many surgeries and has several more to go.
If you would like to submit a child for this page, please e-mail us.
