Travis’ Story: He is the-Wind beneath My Wings.  He is my hero.
Don't Stop Believing......................................

 On July 31st 1986, with a normal pregnancy, I was due to have my first and only baby by induced labor. Travis was born by C section in Upland, CA. on August 1 after grulling labor with no dilation. I was OK, but the doctors discovered 2 thumbs on one hand and began to look further on Travis. One birth defect always means there are 2. No one knew the extent of what his disabilities would be, let alone how to feed a baby with a cleft palate, how to help a new mother and family cope.
 The diagnoses were endless as the years went by.
Chromosonal abnormality, autisum, moderate to severe Developmental delay, severe speech delay, hearing loss, Hypothyroidism, Grandmal seizures, ADHD, OCD with severe outbursts when aggitated. 

 At the age of 18, in 2005, in the hospital in New Port Beach fighting the physical and emotional pain of  Acute severe Pancreatitis, so severe it left Travis a Type 1 Diabetic, destroying his pancrease that produces enzymes to digest food and insulin to break down sugars.  He rarely shows pain and his speech unreconizable, so the damage was done when he was diagnosed after 3 days of vomiting. The group home he lived in then, did not call me that weekend and tell me he was sick. His labs were off the charts with dehydration, Hyperkalemia, kidney failure, lungs drowned with fluid, heart racing to 180, temp of 104 f.
 As other organs  failed after 5 days, he was put on a ventilator for the next 2 weeks. The cause for his Pancreatitis was misdiagnosed for 5 weeks, so the damage was severe and almost took his life.  
This young man had 2 gallstones blocking ducts to his liver and pancrease. The doctors had blamed it on his seizure medicine, Depakote and failed to do a needed test to visulize the liver ducts to rule out any other reasons. They only relyed on Cat scans.

How can someone endure the pain that 8 mg of Morphine could not touch, and 3 months of hospital rehab relearning how to eat all over again and walk? Travis lost 30 lbs during this ordeal and went down to just a boney eighty. His physical and emotional health was damaged beyond repair. 

We continued with many trials and triumps.

  The fight was hard and Very stressful, fighting for his rights to stop all antipsychotics that made him a drooling vegetable.  After a year of struggling in recuperation, he is now in a Supported Living arrangement (his own apartment)with the Orange County Reginol Center with careprovider,  
No Ordinary Moments, Inc. run by Lou Pena.  This is a one of the kind company, family run. He hires only strong trained well educated people to care for higher functioning high risk disabled people that no one else can care for and find them living arrangements that meet their paticuliar needs, and providing nursing care. I encourage any family that is having behavior and medical issues to contact this organization.

We also fought the Newport Mesa School district  for a proper school in a least restrictive environment.  It’s amazing how teachers and educators think they know what is best for your son or daughter. Gee, “we told you so,” was our last words to them. 

He has now graduated from High School in 2008 and had his own special Prom.  Concerts, choirs, any musical performances fansinate him and it is quite amazing to watch his face and body.   We took him to the Orange County Fair last year to see Journey, the band performing one night.  Most of the audience watched him dance, yell and join in on the musical fascination as he stormed the stage and danced right in front of hundreds of people.  He made so many friends I am sure they will remember him this year as well when we plan to see The Fab Four, and several others. 

Sadly, in the past few months it has slowly accured to him that Grandma is no longer with us. If I could only take his pain and confusion away.
 
I don't complain much anymore when I am in pain from a stomach ache or my asthma, knowing his struggle for life was my struggle for him, to have rights for him, freedom to make choices, and living life to its fullest. 
God bless you Travis. My Hero.

Mom