Biography of the Casey Family,
Our Preemie-l Founders
Continued from page 33     By:   Ami Logan
HOW IS VINCENT TODAY?
Vincent has mild spastic hemilplegia (CP) affecting his right side. Despite this he has good mobility & is able to manage things like playground equipment. Since he began walking on his second birthday, the high tone in his leg has improved greatly. His arm is retracted & his fist closed most of the time but his phsiotherapist says he has full range of movement with passive stretching. I carry him & use the pram more than I did with his sister at the same age though. He's learned to be careful about falling. Since his first winter, Vincent has had no major respiratory problems. I kept him in private care until I finished work in December. Now he goes
to creche three mornings a week & is able to cope with the bugs. This winter Gary, Jessica & I all had flu but Vincent stayed well. I was always concerned about the pain Vincent suffered in NICU, it was obvious to me that many of the procedures distressed him. He was very withdrawn & passive during his first 6 months at home but gradually came out of it. He didn't react to the pain of injury for most of his first two years. But this has normalised itself now. He cries pitifully & likes me to comfort him if he hurts himself. His speech skills are good. I think his genes have won over the trauma in this instance. He is able to hold his own at creche & most people have no idea that he was so premature or even that he has CP. (Anyone with any experience could tell immediately of course.) Today Vincent is a happy, friendly, innocent little boy. He likes to stick fairly closely to me, to follow me round chatting all the while. I enjoy his company.

WHAT HAS YOUR FAMILY LEARNED FROM THIS EXPIERENCE?
I've probably learned more about prematurity than I ever wanted to know. If I had my time over again, I'd try to finish work around 20 weeks, & I definately wouldn't have returned to work after the birth until late spring, in order to minimise the RSV risk. I'd recommend this to anyone else in my situation I've learned a lot about electronic communities through Preemie-l & this is an ongoing interest. I'm learning about raising a son - what a privilege this is!

WHY DID YOU START PREEMIE-L?
When Vincent was born, Gary & I were desperate to find information about prematurity, & especially about outcomes after severe brain bleeds. We really wanted to find other parents. Preemie-l was Gary's idea & he had the resources to set it up. I quickly got the hang of it & it has been an important part of my life ever since. Preemie-l is a fascinating & quite compelling experience but I need to limit my time on it.
Page 34                arrow back to index                     arrow go to next page