A ritual is performed by Gliding Stars students each time they go on the ice. Each skater is escorted by one or two volunteers as they form a straight line in the center of the rink. Some can stand independently; some require walkers or arm braces. When the skating instructor gives the cue, they chant: “Can we skate? Yes we can!”

This spirit is shared by all gliding student stars, including Bryson Sparrin, a 6-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. Getting on the ice and skating, Bryson is able to feel like other boys his age. Using a sliding walker created out of plastic pipes, he is pushed along by his older sister, smiling the entire time.

Skating provides multiple benefits of disabled children. Physically, it helps strengthen muscles and improve stability. Children who are otherwise confined to wheelchairs or have limited ability to walk get a sense of freedom they could not otherwise achieve. Emotionally, they get to make friends through the program, boosting their self-esteem.

Children like Bryson get a lot out of the Gliding Stars program. We hope it continues to expand, offering its services to more children throughout the country.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs, LLP – cerebral palsy attorneys

Odin Fortner-Watrous suffers from a rare seizure disorder called West Syndrome, caused by a lack of oxygen he experienced during his first moments in the world.

“He spent four minutes with no oxygen and it caused severe brain trauma, and due to the brain damage the seizures developed,” said Odin’s mother, Shayna Fortner Watrous, telling the story of his birth.

The only treatment option approved in the United States for Odin’s condition, called ACTH, costs $300,000 for a five day supply. Full treatment takes 14 weeks.

“We pay $4,600 out of pocket, per vial,” explains Shayna.

The mother of four was recently diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.

Odin’s father, Arthur, says that every dollar he makes is going towards paying for the medication.

Family and friends are donating household supplies and everyday items to the family. Country singer Landon Parker is performing an online benefit concert on February 4. A Facebook page has been created for the event.

“It gives us the opportunity to test just how strong we can be,” said Arthur.

Shayna says the treatment is already having a positive effect. Hopefully, with the help of the community, the family can complete the treatment and give Odin a better life.

Donations can be sent to:

Shayla Fortner-Watrous

13 Vine Street

Bingham, New York 13901

The family requests that if you do make a donation, please put Odin’s Journey in the memo and include your name and address so they can thank you.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs, LLP – birth trauma lawyers

Aaron Edwards was born at the Lee Memorial Health System in Florida in 1997. A jury determined in 2007 that Lee Memorial was negligent and failed to follow standard hospital rules and regulations, awarding the young victim $30.8 million.

Four years later, the family has been unable to collect the money.

The medical institution, a governmental entity, must have its claims reviewed by the Florida legislature before payments are made.

“It has become common practice with this Florida legislature to just sit on these claims bills so that they are rarely concluded,” said Edwards’ attorneys.

“My Christmas wish this year is for the state of Florida to give me a fair hearing so that we can have the money for my  injuries that the court said we should have,” Edwards wrote, using a rudimentary communications board over a three week period.

We hope he gets his wish.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth trauma attorneys

Mother-to-be Michal Friedman was scheduled for surgery in a Manhattan hospital for November 28, but when doctors found her blood pressure was elevated in her November 27 pre-op appointment, they rescheduled her for a same-day surgery.

Doctors performed a C-section on Friedman. After the surgery, she hemorrhaged. As her husband watched, her condition steadily declined, prompting doctors to request he leave the room. At 9:30 p.m., doctors informed him of the death of his wife.

C-sections have become so common that many people do not consider that the procedure is a surgical one, and with all surgeries, there are risks.

In C-sections, the most common cause of death is bleeding. It can be fast and severe and by the time doctors attempt to address it, it can be too late.

The procedure also comes with risk of bladder injury, infection, bowel injuries and blood clots.

Perhaps Frieman’s C-section prevented potential brain injuries or other birth defects in her newborn twins. It is heartbreaking that she had to pay for that safety with her life.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth injury attorneys

The study, published in the Dec. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that the current guidelines, which suggest prenatal steroids be administered to women who are at risk for delivering between the 24^th and 34^th week of pregnancy, can be expanded to the 23^rd week.

The steroids help the infants with lung development, which increases the odds of survival and reduces the risk of brain injury.

Dr. Wally Carlo, director of the division of neonatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, authored the newly published study.

“When given as early as 23 weeks, prenatal or antenatal steroids reduce an infant’s risk of death and important developmental issues,” said Dr. Carlo.

Currently there is an absence of clear guidelines directing the use of prenatal steroids. According to the study, about 40 percent of women who showed signs of preterm labor at 23 weeks were not treated with steroids.

“There is a huge potential to increase the use of prenatal steroids,” said Dr. Carlo. “Mothers need to know that there is a lot that physicians can do to improve the outcome for these babies.”

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth injury attorneys

C-sections are being performed in around one-third of all births, according to 2007 statistics. That is compared to 21 percent a decade before. Vacuums are being used far more frequently in difficult births as well.

The reason for the increase in the use of methods other than forceps in difficult births is not easy to determine, as statistics do not show that these other methods are safer, according to Dr. Erika F. Werner, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Werner is the head of a study using data on more than 400,000 births to first-time moms. The study found that those delivered with forceps were 45 percent less likely to suffer a seizure than those born via vacuum pump or C-section.

Seizures at birth are often caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain. This kind of birth trauma can result in permanent damage.

According to Dr. Werner, delivery doctors can typically get to the baby faster with forceps than with the other methods, which may help explain the lessened seizure risk.

Cappolino Dodd Krebbs LLP – birth injury attorneys

“That means that overall rates of cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental disabilities are on the rise,” says David Rowitch, chief of neonatology at the University of California, San Francisco.

According to Rowitch, lack of oxygen is the chief cause of brain injury in premature infants. White matter, where the “communication highways” reside, carrying messages through the brain and to the body, is damaged by oxygen deprivation.

Rowitch originally discovered the white matter damage by examining dead infants, but recently has been able to take over 250 premature babies through an MRI by using a special incubator designed to go through the scanner. This allows scientists to detect damage to white matter immediately.

Now that scientists can detect the damage, they need a way to prevent or repair it.

Though some treatments are still years away from human trials, there are some available now, including magnetic stimulation of certain areas of the brain and temporarily lowering the body temperature of the premature infants.

Was your child born premature? Did they suffer any birth defects or brain injuries?

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth trauma lawyers

The family of a 15-year old Markell VanSlembrouck, a quadriplegic girl resulting from a brain injury acquired at birth, was awarded $130 million in damages after a three-week trial where the family alleged negligence by the delivering doctor.

Markell was larger than expected from gestational diabetes, but rather than perform a cesarean, Dr. Andrew Halperin from Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak chose to induce vaginal delivery. The delivery resulted in a broken clavicle and brain damage. Quadriplegia followed, requiring round-the-clock care.

The VanSlembrouck’s attorney says the award represents the cost of caring for Markell through 2077 and her lost wages, and will be stored with a court-appointed conservator.

The size of the award is remarkable in itself, but it also demonstrates the huge financial strain that brain damage and birth defects in one individual can cost parents and society. Medical negligence should never be ignored.

Has your child been injured at birth and are you considering legal action?

Our birth trauma lawyers have a history of helping families who have been damaged by medical carelessness, and can help you get the compensation necessary to move on with your life.

Cappolino, Dodd, Krebs LLP – Birth trauma lawyers

One of the study’s authors said that other more serious infections and factors like a woman’s history of miscarriage or a family history of cerebral palsy were associated with increased risk to babies, but even then, the risk was low.

Pre-term birth, growth restrictions inside the uterus and being a twin or part of a larger set of multiples also increased the risk, as well as severe maternal infections.

With 10,000 babies in the United States being born a year developing cerebral palsy, the continuing search for causes is likely to continue.

The most significant infections linked to the disorder that were found were chicken pox and cytomegalovirus.

The study did not provide any new significant information about the causes of cerebral palsy, but it did reinforce what medical professionals already knew.

Medical negligence can lead to brain injury, which can contribute to the development of a variety of disorders, including cerebral palsy. Was your child the victim of improper care or negligence?

If your child suffered a brain injury at the hands of a doctor, you could be eligible for compensation.

Cappolino, Dodd, Krebs LLP – Cerebral palsy lawyers

The cooling wraps circulate water that keeps the baby’s arms and trunk area at 33.5 degrees, down from the standard 37 degrees. They are kept at this temperature for 3 days, after which they are slowly warmed back up over a 24-hour period.

The cooling blanket can reduce the chance of brain injury by 25 percent. Doctors still do not know why lowering body temperature slows damage to the brain, but the theory is that lower temperature slows the rate at which damage can occur.

According to Dr. Amit Mathur, neonatal ICU medical director at St. Louis Children’s Center, “This is a big deal. We’ve not had anything specific for the brain for decades.”

Regardless of what makes the therapy work, it is exciting to have an option for at risk newborns. If you have some thoughts on this amazing new therapy, or know of anyone who has used it, please comment below and tell us about it.

If your child has experienced a birth injury or birth defect that you feel was due to negligence, please contact our birth trauma lawyers today.