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Tabor started becoming easily fatigued and having stomachs aches. His mother wasn’t overly concerned until she received a call from school one day saying something was wrong with her son. Teachers said they noticed that Tabor seemed to be falling down a lot. Meka was puzzled by the call, but not really alarmed. However, when she picked her son up from school she knew something was seriously wrong. He was having trouble keeping his balance and his ever-present smile was gone. She took Tabor to Children’s Mercy Hospital, a CFC Agency, where he was immediately admitted.
He spent five weeks in the hospital working to regain his strength. At first, progress was slow, but doctors kept assuring Meka that her son was going to get better. Sitting up was a milestone, as was the day Tabor was able to eat on his own. With the help of daily therapy, Tabor began using a wheelchair. He was still in a wheelchair when he was discharged from the hospital, but doctors were convinced that with the right therapy Tabor would eventually be able to run and play, just like he did before. They sent him to the Pediatric Outpatient program at the Rehabilitation Institute, another CFC Agency.
Today, Tabor is nearly back to normal. He no longer wears braces and is running, jumping and playing with his friends. He took swimming lessons this summer and is looking forward to playing soccer. He’s enjoying life and that wonderful, ever-present smile is back…not only on his face…but on his mother’s face as well. |
Little
in life brings more joy to a mother than seeing her children smile,
laugh and have fun. It was certainly true for Meka Oliver who
loved watching her son, Tabor, play with other children and compete
in gymnastics. He was constantly smiling and was clearly
having a good time. But in July of 2005 things suddenly
changed.
By
the next day Tabor couldn’t walk. He couldn’t scratch his
head, or even raise his arm. After a series of tests doctors
determined that Tabor was suffering from Guillain-Barre disease, a
rare disorder that attacks the central nervous system. Although
she had never heard of it, Meka remembers feeling relieved when
doctors shared their diagnosis. “I was afraid it was MS and
that it would be a life-long disease, but doctors told me that with
time and therapy, Tabor would recover,” she said.
Working
with a physical therapist five days a week, Tabor made remarkable
progress. After a month, he got up out of his wheelchair and
started using a walker. Then in December, he put aside his
walker and began walking with leg braces. Although Meka had
health insurance through work to cover most of her son’s hospital
bills and therapy, Rehabilitation Institute helped make sure that
trained, caring doctors and therapists were there when her son
needed them. Tabor’s therapists from the Institute did more
than just help him regain his strength and coordination; they
actually went to school with Meka to advocate on her son’s behalf.
They met with his teachers and school administrators to create
a special study plan that included tutors and individualized
attention, so Tabor didn’t academically fall behind his
classmates.