In the nine years since the Siragusa Scholarship program was launched, a total of $225,185 in scholarships has been awarded to Cradle families. Following are the stories of three wonderfully resilient children whose families received a scholarship in 2009:
Baby Garrett suffered a stroke in utero and was diagnosed with schizencephaly, a rare cephalic disorder which causes the brain to develop abnormally. The prognosis for children with this condition is uncertain. Garrett was admitted to The Cradle Nursery in October 2006 and spent 3 1/2 months with us before going home with a family in Indiana.
Today, at 2 1/2, Garrett is big for his age - 40 pounds and 42 inches - and no longer fits into standard strollers. His challenges include seizures, spastic and tight muscles, a wheelchair to get around and a G-tube for feeding. Garrett receives speech, physical and occupational therapy. His parents applied for and received scholarship assistance to build a wheelchair ramp to their home. “As a family, we don’t leave Garrett out,” they wrote. “He goes grocery shopping, to Wal-Mart, on errands and to church. We believe he needs to be involved in his community and in the world. He will go to developmental preschool in September and the wheelchair ramp will make catching the bus so much easier. It also makes it much easier to get him outside just to enjoy the weather.”
Baby Tessa came to the Nursery in fall 2005, a few days after her birth. Although her hospital records indicated that she was a healthy newborn, The Cradle’s pediatrician suspected a problem with her eyes and immediately referred her to a specialist at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago for an evaluation. There, she was diagnosed with retinal cancer in both eyes and began a course of chemotherapy. Throughout her six months of treatment Tessa stayed in The Cradle Nursery, where she captured the hearts of our nurses, infant aides and volunteer Cuddlers.
In March 2006, Tessa went home with a family who lives on a dairy farm in Arkansas. Her mom, Dana, is a nurse and takes her to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis every six weeks for follow-up treatments. Tessa has seven adopted siblings, two of whom also have special needs. “Without The Cradle’s vigilance, children like Tessa wouldn’t find a ‘forever family,’” said Dana. “We want to thank you once again for the scholarship you awarded to our family. This has been a stressful year as Tessa had to have her eye enucleated and more chemo due to the recurrence of her cancer. With that comes the time away from our farm and children. This money will help to offset the cost of someone to help my husband at home when I am gone with Tessa for her exams. It will also allow us to take all the children on a trip just for fun!”
Weighing barely 4 pounds at birth, Baby Tristan was a tiny slip of a boy when he was admitted to The Cradle Nursery in November 2007. Diagnosed with serious heart and lung problems, Tristan required extensive support and therapies while he was in the Nursery’s care. Despite his medical challenges, he was a charmer with an impish grin, and he was soon a favorite among the Nursery staff.
A few months after arriving at The Cradle, Tristan’s condition suddenly deteriorated and he had to be admitted to Children’s Memorial Hospital, where he was placed on life support. By then, a Chicago-area family had stepped forward to adopt this beautiful baby boy, despite his uncertain medical prognosis. Thanks to the expert care of the physicians at Children’s, and the dedication of his parents and extended Cradle family, Tristan pulled through and was discharged from the hospital last summer.
Tristan, who will turn 2 in October, is thriving at home with his parents and two older brothers, who are also adopted. “Our family has been on a true emotional roller coaster ride,” his parents wrote, “full of the highest of highs and lowest of lows that we have ever experienced together. The generous scholarship gift we received will help provide our family with some much overdue time for some R.F.R… Rest, Fun and Relaxation!!!”
For more information about The Siragusa Scholarship program, please contact Heidi Bloom at 847.733.3240 or hbloom@cradle.org.
