A tough start: Mother says premature son's survival is 'testimony of the Lord's miracles'

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 11/20/2010

Loretta Helmes remembers the first time her son Trey, now 3, called her “Mama.”

“He was in the hospital right after his first birthday,” she said. “I was laying on the sofa bed, and he was in the crib. He leaned over looking over me and said ‘Ma-Ma.’ ”

It was a priceless moment for the Scottsville woman – one that some of the medical professionals who cared for Trey in his early years didn’t necessarily think would happen. Trey was born Sept. 6, 2007, at Helmes’ 29th week of pregnancy. The average pregnancy is 40 weeks.

“After I had him, doctors told me most likely he wouldn’t survive the night,” Helmes said. “Through God, my little boy is here.”

According to the March of Dimes, “one in eight babies born in the (United States) is premature. The rate of premature birth in America is higher than that of most other developed nations.” While premature births can be caused by illnesses such as preeclampsia and illicit drug use, most of the time the cause is unknown, said Dianna Karoffa, a registered pediatric nurse with The Medical Center Home Care Program.

“The babies sometimes have to stay in the hospital until their due date or until they reach a weight goal,” she said.

Karoffa visits the families once the baby goes home, sometimes making several visits in the first week to assess the baby as well as teach the parents how to take care of their baby.

“I teach them what I’m looking for. I reinforce infant and child CPR,” she said. “If they haven’t had a baby before, they learn from the top to the bottom.”

Complications that may afflict premature babies include respiratory problems, nutrition and feeding issues, developmental delays and neurological problems, Karoffa said.

“If they have a brain hemorrhage, they can go into seizures,” she said. “Sometimes they don’t have those reflexes to suck.”

Prenatal care is important so that doctors can watch for signs of preterm labor and catch problems, Karoffa said. She also encourages parents to take their babies to follow-up doctor appointments and to bond with their babies even while they are in neonatal intensive care.

“If parents aren’t there to learn things, they won’t know what to do,” she said. “It makes a difference if you’re involved.”

Helmes said her water ruptured when she was 17 weeks pregnant. She was given the option to abort her baby, but she wouldn’t do it.

“They said he could come out missing limbs, have club feet, club hands or could very well not live,” she said. “I could not because it’s not in me to abort my baby.”

Helmes said she was angry at God and couldn’t pray because she felt it was unfair. Then one day she fell to her knees and gave it to the Lord. She felt as if a boulder had been lifted from her shoulders.

“I knew Trey was going to be OK,” she said.

Helmes was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville when she was 24 weeks pregnant. At 29 weeks, she gave birth to Trey by emergency cesarean section. He weighed 2 pounds, 2 ounces. From the beginning there were complications, including chronic lung disease, hemorrhaging in the brain, problems with his suck, swallow and gag reflex, and plummeting of his oxygen and heart rates.

“His lungs were the size of quarters and the right one collapsed completely. He was on maximum life support for two to three weeks,” she said. “He coded on them several times while he was at Vanderbilt. Being at Vanderbilt and being the parent of a premature baby is a scary thing.”

Trey was two weeks old before Helmes got to hold him, and then it was brief because touch was painful for him and he was hooked to so many machines.

“All I could do was gently touch him,” she said. “It’s hard to look at your son and know there’s nothing you can do but pray. He was so small and fragile it seemed like the world had just stopped, but God didn’t.”

Helmes continued to pray, and Trey was a fighter. He was discharged from the hospital after 89 days. While he had to be readmitted soon afterward, his stay was much shorter and he was released to go home on Christmas Eve.

“I believe that Trey’s testimony is a wonderful testimony of the Lord’s miracles that he still performs today,” she said. “If it wasn’t for God my son would not be here.”

Today, Trey has some complications, including chronic lung disease, secondary pulmonary hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease and speech and developmental delays. He has developed a suck and swallow reflex, but he has to eat through a feeding tube for 16 hours continuously. He walks a little without support, but most of the time he uses a walker. He has had four surgeries and various procedures. He has different types of therapists from The Medical Center Home Care Program who come in to help him regularly.

Despite his challenges, though, he is still very much like any other toddler.

“He loves trucks, tractors, Disney’s ‘Cars’ and ‘Toy Story.’ He says ‘Mama,’ ‘Dada,’ ‘go,’ ‘wow,’ ‘oh yeah’ and ‘hi.’ He’s a fun-loving, rowdy little 3-year-old.”

That doesn’t mean there aren’t times when Helmes is frightened.

“The scary times are not over just because you leave the hospital,” she said. “I still have a suitcase I keep packed just in case I have to run out the door. It’s like a roller-coaster ride. You strap yourself in and hold on for dear life.”

Helmes said she appreciates the support she has gotten from the medical professionals, friends, family, church and community.

“I feel very blessed,” she said. “When you have children, it’s life changing. When you have one with special needs, it’s not what you or anyone else in the family wants. It’s about that baby.”

vHelmes believes that God has something big in store for Trey.

“The Bible tells us that God does not make mistakes. That tells me that my son is absolutely perfect. He is a blessing,” she said. “I believe Trey is exactly the way the Lord wanted him to be. Trey still amazes me every day.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Program honors others at holidays

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 11/18/2010

Commonwealth Health Foundation is offering people the chance to remember, honor or celebrate loved ones and help others in need with the “Make the Season Bright” program.

“ ‘Make the Season Bright’ is an event we have every year on the campuses of The Medical Center in Bowling Green, Scottsville and Franklin. The highlight is the lighting of special trees for the holiday season,” said Laura Holderfield, executive director of the Commonwealth Health Foundation. “Individuals purchase lights to remember your loved ones, honor a loved one or celebrate a birth. It’s all about honoring or remembering your loved ones during the holiday season.”

The Medical Center lighting ceremonies will be at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in Bowling Green, Dec. 7 in Franklin and Dec. 9 in Scottsville. All ceremonies begin inside the hospital, and the tree lighting will happen briefly outside. The evenings will include refreshments, live holiday music and a visit from Santa.

Types of lights available include star lights for a donation of $100 or more, green lights for $50, red lights for $25 and white lights for $10. The deadline to reserve lights is Nov. 26. All proceeds benefit the Commonwealth Health Free Clinic, which offers medical services to the working uninsured and discounted dental care to patients who don’t have private pay dental insurance.

Last year, “Make the Season Bright” raised $15,000 for the Free Clinic, Holderfield said.

“The gift you’re giving during the holiday season is to help someone who’s in need,” she said.

The Free Clinic’s medical program is celebrating its 15th year, clinic Executive Director Carla Reagan said.

“It’s almost entirely volunteer driven – doctors and pharmacists,” she said.

Dental services were available when the clinic first opened and were also volunteer driven. The dental program became full time with the addition of the dental team that was formerly at Fairview Community Health Center. It offers low-cost dental care for the uninsured on a sliding fee scale.

“Most patients are paying $10 to $20 per service,” Reagan said. “It gives them ownership in services they’re receiving and encourages them to take care of themselves.”

Donors help keep the Free Clinic operating, Reagan said.

“The Free Clinic is a worthy cause,” she said.

Free Clinic hours are 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday walk-in for the medical clinic and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday by appointment only for the dental clinic.

— For more information about “Make the Season Bright,” call 745-1543 or visit www.commonwealthhealthfoundation.org.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

The Medical Center at Franklin expansion project will include two surgical suites

The Daily News, originally published on 11/17/2010

The Medical Center at Franklin announced plans Tuesday for a $4 million expansion to enhance surgical services, according to a news release.

The 9,400-square-foot project will include the construction of two operating suites, an endoscopy suite and a six-bed recovery unit.

Construction will begin in December with completion expected in August. The current ambulance entrance for the emergency department will relocate to accommodate the expansion. Stengel-Hill Architecture of Louisville will serve as architect, while Wittenburg Construction of Louisville will serve as general contractor.

Since Commonwealth Health Corp. acquired Franklin-Simpson Memorial Hospital in April 2000, more than $17 million has been invested in The Medical Center at Franklin.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

'You control it or it controls you': Woman uses insulin pump, real-time monitor to manage Type 1 diabetes

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 11/13/2010

Kelli Carr Haynes spent part of her college years trying to control seizures caused by low blood sugar.

“I felt like a freak,” the Bowling Green woman said. “Sometimes you lose the ability to feel low blood sugar.”

Haynes’ hypoglycemia unawareness was a result of having Type 1 diabetes, in which the body doesn’t make insulin. She was diagnosed at age 7 and has been living with the illness for nearly 30 years.

“I had been perfectly healthy. Then I started feeling bad and lost a lot of weight,” she said. “No one else in my family had (diabetes) that we could trace back.”

One day, she got sick after eating various treats at a school Christmas party at school.

“My blood sugar was over 800,” she said. “They said it was a wonder I wasn’t in a coma. They put me in the hospital that night.”

Haynes has used a variety of products – including urine strips, which she kept in the office at school when she was a youngster – over the years to check her blood sugar and used to give herself insulin shots. While fulfilling an internship requirement for a bachelor’s degree in public health at Western Kentucky University, she found out about an insulin pump for people with Type 1 diabetes that could help keep her blood sugar regulated.

“I interned at the (Barren River District) health department with the diabetes education team,” she said. “I got my insulin pump in the summer of 1997.”

Last summer, she found out about a real-time glucose monitoring transmitter that works in conjunction with the insulin pump. The device reads her blood sugar levels every few minutes, and the information is transmitted to the screen of her insulin pump. An alarm sounds if blood sugars are too low or too high.

“The sensor alarm goes off before I get in that bad of shape,” she said. “It has prevented a lot of seizures since the summer. I’ve got better control of blood sugars and less seizures.”

Preventing seizures has meant more freedom for Haynes.

“The sensor is the most exciting thing for me. With the seizures, I couldn’t sleep alone,” she said. “I had to have a baby sitter. My mother would have to come baby-sit me and the kids when my husband was out of town.”

Monitoring blood sugar is very important for people with diabetes, whether it’s Type 1 or Type 2, in which the body makes insulin but isn’t using it properly.

“Some symptoms cross over. With both types there is an increased thirst and hunger, frequent urination, blurred vision, dry itchy skin and fatigue,” said Marissa Hesson, certified diabetes educator at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center. “The big difference is that with Type 1, there is weight loss – usually rapid even though they’re eating normally. It’s usually diagnosed in people under 25.”

Although no one knows what causes diabetes, some people are at high risk for developing Type 2, including people who are overweight or inactive and women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancies or gave birth to babies who weighed more than 9 pounds, Hesson said. The risk also goes up as people age. Diabetes can cause complications, including heart disease, stroke and vision problems.

While those with Type 1 will need to take insulin, not all with Type 2 will need medication, Hesson said.

“Some can control it with regular exercise, following a meal plan and maintaining a healthy weight,” she said. “Monitoring blood sugar at home and following up regularly with a physician is important.”

The current goal for blood sugars is less than 110 for fasting levels and 140 or less if it’s after a meal, Hesson said.

“If you check it after a meal, make sure it’s two hours after the meal,” she said.

Diabetes is not all about sugar, Hesson said.

“We teach patients to count carbohydrates because the body turns carbohydrates into sugar. People are surprised when they come out to meet with us and find out how much they can eat,” she said. “It’s all about moderation. These are your energy foods. The body needs some amount of carbohydrates.”

Regularly scheduled meals can help keep blood sugars regulated, Hesson said.

“Make sure they’re eating three balanced meals a day at the same time every day, and make sure they don’t go more than four to five hours between meals,” she said. “Learning how to eat well is essential in controlling diabetes.”

Haynes agreed.

“Life is routine. I eat at the same time, and I check my blood sugar before I eat,” she said. “It’s all about the routine.”

Although she doesn’t have to give herself any more insulin shots, she does have to change out her pump and transmitter regularly. She also checks her blood sugar because she has to calibrate her monitoring system twice daily.

“I look at it, then I check my blood. If it’s low and I’m at home, I drink milk or orange juice,” she said. “If I’m out, I carry raisins or peanut butter and crackers.”

Haynes said she highly recommends using a pump and transmitter to those with Type 1 diabetes and credits it for helping her live a more normal life and deliver three healthy children.

“You control it or it controls you,” she said of diabetes. “Growing up, it controlled me. I missed a lot of school.”

Now she feels more in control.

“You can’t just be a diabetic and not educate yourself,” she said.

— The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall and the Barren River District Health Department offer classes for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes. For more information about classes at the Health and Wellness Center, call 745-0942 or toll-free at 877-800-3824. For more information about the health department’s class, call 781-8039, ext. 119.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Taken too soon: Woman who lost son to sudden infant death syndrome trying to raise awareness

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 10/30/2010

Melissa Haynes smiles every time she looks at photographs of her infant son, Dakota.

“He loved having his picture taken. Whenever someone had a camera, he knew it,” she said recently as she flipped through small photo albums at the home she shares with her parents in Glasgow. “I have over 800 pictures that I downloaded. He was looking right at (the camera) the whole time.”

The photos – many of which show a grinning, bright-eyed Dakota – are all she has left of the time she spent with her baby. On Aug. 21, 2009, Haynes went to check on her son in his crib. Dakota, who was six days shy of turning 4 months old and had learned to roll himself over, wasn’t breathing.

“When I put him to sleep, he was on his back. When I found him, he was on his stomach,” she said as her eyes filled with tears. “We called an ambulance. They came here and took him to the hospital.”

It was too late. Dakota had died of sudden infant death syndrome, which is when a seemingly healthy infant dies suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep.

“I was devastated. He was my first (child),” Haynes said as tears fell down her face. “I was 37, about to be 38, when I found out I was pregnant. I had never been pregnant before. I didn’t have a bad pregnancy.”

Beverly Phelps, a registered nurse who works in The Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit, said SIDS is very real.

“It’s like one of those things you hear about but don’t think about. It’s not completely preventable,” she said. “SIDS is still the leading cause of death in the first 12 months of life, with 90 percent of the cases happening when the baby is between 2 and 4 months old. Twenty percent of those cases happen when they are in someone else’s care.”

Because of the mysterious nature of SIDS, there is no way to prevent it, but there are ways to reduce the risk. Fall and winter months bring a higher incidence of SIDS, Phelps said. Babies who are at higher risk of SIDS include those who are premature or have low birth weight, are African-American or American Indian or are male, Phelps said.

“Mothers who smoke have three times the risk of having a baby who dies of SIDS,” she said. “Smoke exposure means more than twice the risk.”

Babies who sleep on their sides or stomachs have 13 times the risk of SIDS, and that figure rises to 18 times for babies who sleep on their backs but are suddenly put to sleep on their stomachs, Phelps said.

“Babies won’t choke if they sleep on their backs,” she said, citing reasons some caregivers may give for putting a baby to sleep on his stomach. “Babies have enough head strength to help them turn their heads (to spit up).”

Babies should sleep on a firm crib mattress and have no toys, bumper pads, pillows or blankets in the crib. Parents who are concerned the baby might be cold should use a swaddle wrap, a sleep sack or a blanket at the foot of the crib.

“There should be nothing in the crib except the baby,” she said. “Even a firm adult mattress isn’t firm enough.”

Infants should not be overheated, Phelps said.

“Keep the room temperature between 68 and 72 degrees,” she said. “Parents should dress the baby the way they are dressed.”

Breastfeeding and pacifiers can help reduce the risk, Phelps said.

“After babies have a well-developed nursing pattern, you can use a pacifier,” she said. “Putting the babies to bed with pacifiers has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. It’s OK if the pacifier falls out (later).”

Twins should not sleep together in one crib, but if they have to, put one on one end of the crib and the second baby on the other end, Phelps said.

“(It’s better if they) have separate beds,” she said.

There are various products that claim to help reduce the risk of SIDS, but parents should not use them, Phelps said.

“Items that say they help reduce SIDS don’t,” she said.

SIDS can be additionally stressful on families because it is generally treated as a potential crime scene, with an investigation, pictures, questioning and autopsy, Phelps said.

“SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion,” she said. “Every baby who dies doesn’t die of SIDS.”

Guilt has become a part of Haynes’ life, even though she knows she did nothing wrong.

“A lot of people think it’s the parents’ or caretakers’ fault. It’s not. When it happens, it happens,” she said. “It’s hard to talk about. People say things without meaning to. I still blame myself sometimes. I keep telling myself it wasn’t my fault.”

Haynes said she gets upset about information that says SIDS is preventable.

“Some of the information is misleading. You can reduce the risk,” she said. “There’s not a cure for it. They don’t know why it happens.”

In her grief, Haynes reached out to others with similar experiences through the Internet.

“I read up as much as possible about SIDS. I’ve got lots of different websites up about (Dakota) and SIDS,” she said. “I’ve found a lot of parents who have lost babies a day or two within the day I lost mine. I’ve had people tell me they were holding their babies and they (died).”

Haynes also has leaned on her faith, friends and family. They have been spreading the word that October is SIDS Awareness Month. On Oct. 15, the family lit candles in memory of Dakota on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Haynes has worn pink and blue items to commemorate the month. They also planned a walk to raise awareness.

“It got rained out,” Haynes said. “We plan on doing another walk. We’re hoping it will be a better turnout.”

Haynes’ sister-in-law, Tiffany Haynes, said her family has been telling people about SIDS Awareness Month.

“They don’t even know,” she said. “October is not just Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There’s nothing out there about SIDS hardly.”

Haynes’ mother, Patricia Haynes, said the pins she has worn observing the month have drawn attention.

“I was in a store in Barren County and had on the pin,” she said. “Someone saw it and said she lost a baby 30 years ago from that.”

In memory of her son, Melissa Haynes wears a heart-shaped necklace with Dakota’s picture. She sleeps with a photo of him and kisses it each night. She remembers her babbling, laughing baby who used to love being outside and whom she called her “Little Monkey.”

“He was a precious baby,” she said, smiling. “I’m glad I got to spend the four months I did with him. Even if I had to go through this again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

A “SIDS Prevention and Safe Sleep for Infants” class will be offered from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall.

Nurses from The Medical Center Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will offer information and a CPR review.

Preregistration is required. For more information, call 745-0942.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Stinson named Nurse of the Year at Franklin Medical Center

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 10/30/2010

Lorie Stinson’s connection with The Medical Center at Franklin goes beyond the fact that she works there as a registered nurse.

“I was born in this hospital. It’s in the community I grew up in,” she said. “I know a lot of the (patients). A lot of the (patients) know me.”

The Franklin native was recently named the hospital’s Nurse of the Year. The winner is chosen by the entire hospital staff.

“I was excited, happy and proud,” she said of how she felt when she found out she had been chosen.

Stinson doesn’t remember ever wanting to be anything except a nurse. In fact, she chose a career in nursing many years before she was old enough to pursue it.

“My mom said ever since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a nurse,” she said.

While a student at Western Kentucky University, Stinson worked as a certified nursing assistant and unit clerk at The Medical Center at Franklin. She received a scholarship from the hospital, which helped her pay for her last semester in school. She earned an associate’s degree and began working as a nurse at the hospital in June 1999.

Stinson works primarily in the emergency room, where she takes care of patients.

“I do lots of shots and IVs,” she said. “When the (technicians) are busy, we clean our own rooms after patients are discharged.”

Although retirement is still in the distant future, Stinson has been considering her options and doesn’t believe she will leave the nursing field for good.

“I hope to retire early,” she said. “I may want to switch to (per diem nursing). I may want to be a flight nurse.”

Caring for people and variety of patients are her favorite aspects of nursing, Stinson said.

“I like the excitement of never knowing what’s going to walk through that door. There’s always something different,” she said. “I’m never bored. I don’t feel like I’m tied to the same routine. I’m always learning new stuff.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

10K Classic draws 2,400

by Jenna Mink, The Daily News, originally published on 10/24/2010

Macdonard Ondara has walked everywhere most of his life. He soon started running, and he hasn’t stopped.

“In Kenya, we don’t use gas, so we walk to school,” he said. “It’s a natural thing.”

Ondara was the first man to cross the finish line Saturday during the 10K run portion of The Medical Center 10K Classic.

It was the 31st year for the downtown race, which also features a 5K run, a 10K wheelchair race and a 1.5-mile fun walk. About 2,400 people from across the nation competed Saturday, which is about the same number that participated last year, said Doris Thomas, vice president of marketing and development for Commonwealth Health Corp., the parent company of The Medical Center.

“I think it’s going great,” she said. “We could not have asked for better weather, and we’ve had a great turnout.”

Hundreds of people lined the sidewalks of Western Kentucky University’s campus, clapping and cheering for walkers and runners as they neared the finish line next to the football stadium. Groups of volunteers encouraged runners and handed out bottled water as they whizzed past.

“I’ve done it every year for the last 20 years, and it’s just fun,” said Alene Denning of Bowling Green, who participated in the walk. “It’s the walking. It’s a daily thing for me.”

Patsy Pillow of Smiths Grove smiled as she crossed the finish line – something she’s been doing for around 30 years.

“I’ve done it almost as long as it’s been going on,” she said. “It’s an event that I look forward to every year. I enjoy everything about it.”

Nathan Thomas traveled from Prestonsburg to participate in the 5K run. Some friends from Glasgow encouraged him to take part in the event, which is different from anything he has participated in, he said.

“There’s more hills than I’m used to,” he said. “But I like that you can see the finish line and go downhill to the finish line. That’s pretty cool.”

Supporters and audience members clapped and shouted as Chad Johnson zoomed across the finish line. Johnson won the wheelchair race, tackling the course in a three-wheeled device he calls a running chair.

Johnson, of Charlestown, Ind., travels the country to take part in wheelchair races. He has won the local race three or four times, he said.

“This is just a way in which someone who can’t use their legs would run,” he said. “It’s an impact sport.”

Johnson got involved in the sport by accident, he said, after someone suggested he give it a try.

“I found out it was really hard. Bodybuilding is easy to me. Basketball is easy to me,” he said. “But this one, I’m completely (puzzled). I don’t understand it yet.”

Still, he gives it his best effort because it strengthens him physically and mentally, and he hopes to inspire other people, whether or not they have a disability, he said.

“Yeah, being in a wheelchair sucks, and it’s tough. But everybody has their struggles,” he said. “I can put my wheelchair on just like anyone puts on their shoes.”

Like Ondara, Janet Cherobon was born in Kenya, and she snagged a track scholarship at Harding University in Arkansas.

Now she lives in Rome, Ga., and runs 90 to 100 miles a week – a workout that pays off. She won the female division of the 10K run for the third consecutive year.

Ondara has been racing for the past seven years, traveling across the nation and in Europe and Africa. He trains in New Mexico.

“It’s my first time to win (here),” he said. “So, I’m feeling good.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)