Hemangioma News

Baby Kate was born with a defect.

Kate went home were she spent 2 weeks before they found out that kate was infact a sick little girl. She sounded like she had a cold, so back to the Dr. they went. Kate made noise with every breath she took. The Dr. sent Kate and her parents to speicalist. They examend her and said that Kate had Subglottic Hemangiomas: A subglottic hemangioma is a benign tumor of blood vessels occurring in the airway just below the vocal cords that may cause partial obstruction of the airway. It is an example of the same disorder that causes strawberry birthmarks on the skin of some children and behaves in the same way as a strawberry birthmark in that hemangiomas are not usually present at birth and they rapidly grow quite large then slowly disappear again. In fact, 50% of children with subglottic hemangiomas will also have a strawberry nevus birthmark somewhere else on their body.

It was blocking the very air she needed to survive. This poor little girl had to have surgery to open the airway that thretened her life. She needed to have a tracheotomy. For safty they also put in a feeding tube.

Surgery on shuch a small child was very risky there was a big chance that Kate would not live through the night. Long hours in a waiting room silently wishing the child would simply die mother sat and waited for the news.

Baby Kate lived to see the next day. Tiny,weak,hooked up to tubes and wires lay Kate in her hospital bed. This was the begining of a long healing prosess for Kate. Her space had to be humid so they put a vinal tent around her crib. Suctioning equiptment and a humidafier were part of her space.

It’s hard to rember all the details throughout the first year . I do rember that there were alot of days that Kate spent in a hospital room. The Dr.’s gave her chemotherapy in the form of cobalt treatments. during this time Kate had suffered a collapse lung. Kate also developed Pneumonia that lasted a lot longer than the useual.

All this left little Kate smaller than other childern her age. She was a thin weak child. But, She was growing every day. Her parents reached out to the community for help paying the hosptial bills. They held several fund raisers. but the burden of all those bills were great indeed.

By her first birthday Kate was finally well enough to learn to breath through her nose and mouth like healthy people. This was a long upsetting time for Kate and her mother. When at last she learned to breath and the trac was removed she began to learn how to eat. At 18mo. Kate was begining to learn to eat like an infant that has never had any thing put into thier mouth. Mother would put food in and it came out, meny times food that stayed in would choke Kate and she woult throw up. This was a big task for Kate as well as her Mother.

With time ang Gods good grace these things were accomplished and Kate began to learn. All the things a baby should be doing, rolling over, crawling, walking. Kate learned she had a voice something the Dr.’s said may never happen. Kate was delayed at every turn, held up by tubes and illness for most of her short life to this point.

In the years to come she grew, learned, and got stronger. still senstive to sicknesss Kate was begining to be a real toddler.

The Child
The Year was 1974 Welcome to Public school.
School came with all the useal new things.
Many of wich frightened her.
A young man Jim a classmate. Scarred her and chased her around the room on hands and knees till I ran into a corner of a table.
Kate’s very first day away from home and family, and she end up with a goose egg on my forehead.
Kate looked different than the other childern.Kate had a scare that could not be covered. It wasn’t long before the other childern noticed it. That was a point of interets for a short while. Kate’s voice is quiet and horse another point that was noticed before they even took the chance to get to know her.
First grade in the same small school in the same small town was not going well. Kate couldn’t keep up with the school work. The other students had formed their oppions about her, something that would haunt her the rest of her life.
Sometome in the second grade they wented to hold me back. Mom would not let them hold me back a grade. Although I needed speical help. They tested Kate and found some learning differances. At that time they called it “disability” and that is what people saw me as not able. The students for the most part saw me as stupid. They would do and say mean things. The kids would call Kate names and once in sing song fashion they used her nickname to put me down. “Murtle Turtle lost her girdle” I t hurt and nobody but the kids knew it!
The grade school years a nightmare the kids in my class were relentless they found little ways to cause pian. They would not allow me to join in their games, They would say things like Go Away, Leave me alone, I do not want you here. When Kate found an empty place on the playground the bullies would kick things at her. Kate was the last to be chosen for group activities. No one wanted to be seen near Kate. The teachers did little to stop the abuse.
Once Kate did tell her mom what was going on at school. Mom’s way to help Kate was to begin to teasing Kate like the kids did. Kate almost died inside, but, She laughed with mom. Just to get her to stop. Mom asked what is the differance when I do that and the kids. Kate could not answer her. Mom never knew just how much she had hurt Kate.
It hurt very deeply and permantly. Like scares on your skin that are with you the rest of your life the pian caused by the teasing left a painful scare on Kates heart.
The grade school years were so very pianful and lonely.
Kate did find one person who did not make fun of her.
She was an out cast also.

Although many people have heard
sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us,
those who have suffered from verbal abuse know that words do hurt
and can be as damaging as physical blows are to the body.
The scars from verbal assaults can last for years.
They are psychological scars that leave people unsure of themselves,
unable to recognize their true value,
their talents and sometimes unable to adapt to life’s many challenges.

Food for Thought

Subglottic Hemangiomas: A subglottic hemangioma is a benign tumor of blood vessels occurring in the airway just below the vocal cords that may cause partial obstruction of the airway. It is an example of the same disorder that causes strawberry birthmarks on the skin of some children and behaves in the same way as a strawberry birthmark in that hemangiomas are not usually present at birth and they rapidly grow quite large then slowly disappear again. In fact, 50% of children with subglottic hemangiomas will also have a strawberry nevus birthmark somewhere else on their body.
Subglottic hemangiomas usually do not cause problems at birth but cause increasing respiratory distress over the first few months of life. If large enough, they may block the majority of the airway and require intervention. The treatment options are high-dose steroids, which often will shrink hemangiomas. Another alternative is placement of a tracheotomy, which can then be removed one or two years later when the hemangiomas has disappeared again. Currently, in some children, open resection of the whole hemangiomas is considered to avoid the need for a tracheotomy.

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